


What Comes After, (finding their way after the revolution)

by Twin2day



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Connor Deserves Happiness, Developing Friendships, F/M, Falling In Love, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Good Parent Hank Anderson, Hank Anderson Swears, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, North dislikes Connor, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Temporary Character Death, Then changes her mind, so does North
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-26 06:54:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 26
Words: 97,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20925989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twin2day/pseuds/Twin2day
Summary: Life after the revolution is full of new feelings, relationships, and adventures. Connor and North each try to figure out what it means to be alive, along with help from friends and family, maybe emotions aren’t such a bad thing.





	1. First contact

**Author's Note:**

> all mistakes are mine, I try to proofread but I’m sure I miss things. Kinda new to the whole writing / posting fan fiction. This story is a monster, longest thing I’ve ever written. Full of fluff, you’ve been warned. If you like it please let me know, if you don’t like it, just find a different story. Thank you! Please Enjoy!

Markus sighed slightly disappointed as he said goodbye Cybernetically to Connor. He had contacted Connor in regards to coming to the meeting of the New Jericho leaders. Markus felt that Connor deserved a seat at the table so to speak, but Connor politely declined. He seemed surprised that Markus would even contact him, and was very grateful for the invitation but stated that he had a prior engagement and apologized for his inability to attend. Simon, Josh and North just entered the room and saw the look on their leaders face.

“What’s wrong Markus?” Simon asked coming up next to him and laying his hand on his lovers arm. North and Josh walked up as well.

“It’s nothing.” Markus stated quietly eyes sliding toward North. Simon caught the subtle look and nodded his head slightly knowing Markus would tell him when they were alone. Markus did not want to get into another argument with North. Markus knew that North did not care for Connor and did not agree with Markus sparing his life on the night of the revolution. To North, Connor would always be the ‘deviant hunter’ even though he had more than proved himself to Markus by sneaking into Cyberlife on what should have been a suicide mission and waking all the androids still in stasis there to come join the protest. Markus knew that North has trust issues and that had to do with her past, but he had hoped that she would soften her stance towards the new deviant if she would take the time to talk to him and get to know him not as the machine sent to destroy deviants, but as Connor. 

Markus wanted to get to know Connor better as well, but the new deviant had left the morning after the revolution and hadn’t returned. Connor had come to him early that morning still in his uniform and told Markus that he was leaving. “I just want to thank you.... for everything” Connor had said as he shook Markus’s hand. “I can’t stay here. I can see the looks that some give me, I’m not trusted, and I don’t blame them for their misgivings about me. I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable so I’m going to go.” Markus had tried to talk Connor out of leaving, telling him that he was always welcome, but he just smiled sadly and shook his head. Markus knew that Connor didn’t have anywhere to go and had been worried about him. When he voiced his concerns to the other leaders, North just scoffed at him and said that everyone would be better off if Connor stayed away.

Simon and Josh had kept quiet on the matter but about a month after the revolution Simon came to him with information. “I thought you would like to know that Connor is ok” he said quietly as he took Markus aside after one of their meetings. “He’s living with a Lieutenant Hank Anderson from the Detroit Police Department. I knew you were worried about him so I had some of our people I trust discretely keep an eye out for him.” Simon explained quietly. Markus for his part looked stunned that quickly turned into relief at Simon and pulled him in for a hug.

“Thank you.” Markus whispered amazed and overwhelmed with love for the man in front of him. He had waited another two weeks to contact Connor cybernetically and asked him to attend a meeting of the New Jericho leaders and was slightly disappointed by the answer.

That night while he and Simon were working on converting one of the many conference rooms in the newly acquired Cyberlife building into an apartment for the two of them Simon broached the subject that had been troubling him. “What happened earlier today?” Simon asked with compassion. “Something upset you, What was it?”

“I’m not so much upset but disappointed.” Markus explained as he sat down on the couch at the far side of the room facing out the floor to ceiling windows looking at the city with a thoughtful look on his face. “I contacted Connor today. I asked him if he would come to one of leader meetings. He declined.” Markus sighed

“I’m sorry Markus.” Simon said. “I know that you want him to feel like apart of this community and feel like he’s welcome here but I think that will take time. There are a lot of deviants here that heard stories about the ‘deviant hunter’ and would feel uncomfortable with him here.”

“He wasn’t himself then. He was following his programming just like everyone else did before they woke up.” Markus defended strongly. “It shouldn’t be held against him, it’s not fair or right”

“Hey now,” Simon said quietly with a small smile on his face as he sat down beside Markus and grabbed his hand. “You don’t have to convince me. I’m not North.” Simon said referring to the strong willed deviant. “I agree with you. Connor should be welcome here. And if he doesn’t feel welcome coming here, maybe we should go to him.”

“What do you mean?” Markus asked looking at his lover “Like go visit him?”Simon laughed quietly at the question.

“Yes. It’s what friends do for each other.” Simon said “If we want Connor to feel like he’s our friend and that he’s welcome here, we need to start treating him like a friend.” Markus sat quietly for a few moments looking at the smile on Simon’s face.

“I love you. You know that right” Markus said as his artificial skin slid away from the hand that was still holding Simon’s hand. Simon’s smile grew and he looked down shyly as he did the same with his hand. As the two deviants interfaced Simon answered.

“I know you do, and I love you too, so much.” Markus smiled for the first time that night and leaned in to kiss his lover. Simon smiled into the kiss before returning it fully.As they broke the kiss Markus rested his forehead against Simon’s.

“Is there time tomorrow? Can we go see him?” Markus questioned quietly his eyes drooping as his power levels ran low.

“We will make time” Simon replied as he helped Markus lay down across the couch, bringing his head to lay down in Simon’s lap. “You need to rest, your power level is low.”Simon rested one hand on the top of Markus arm, the other coming to rest on his head as the deviant leader sighed and closed his eyes for a much needed rest. Simon smiled down at his lover and sat watching him for a few minutes before resting his head back into the cushion behind him and closing his eyes to go into rest mode himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~D:BH~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Connor sat quietly on the couch after he had said goodbye to Markus thinking about the call. Markus had asked him to join them at New Jericho to go over issues and complications that rise up now that the androids have been given freedom. It had been a month and a half since the revolution that he himself played a part in and he didn’t really expect to hear from anyone in New Jericho again. Connor thought that he wasn’t trusted there and he understood that, but apparently he was wrong.

“Hey Connor? What’s wrong?” Hank asked as he came into the living room seeing the deviant with a far off look on his face.

“Nothing is wrong Hank” Connor said looking at the detective with a small smile. “Markus just contacted me. He wants me to join the New Jericho leaders for a meeting regarding our new freedom and the problems that come with it.” He explained with a slightly confused look on his face.

“That’s good right?” Hank asked.

“I told him I couldn’t go.” Connor stated looking at his hands in his lap with a sigh

“Why the fuck would you do that? You have just as much right to be there as they do. You risked everything for them. And it would do you good to get out of the house. It’s going to be a while before Fowler can get you back on at the department, he’s trying to speed the process up but there’s a lot of red tape to get through.” Hank said slightly angry.

“I get out of the house Hank.” Connor stated looking at Hank with a slightly exasperated look.

“Hanging out with Jessica doesn’t count Connor. All you guys do is watch movies or read books. It’s like a two person book club.” Hank sighed slightly trying to come to terms with the quick friendship between the two.

Jessica was the precinct technician, and she was harboring a pretty good crush on Connor. Apparently Jessica had helped Connor a few times before he deviated. Connor had confessed to Jessica that he felt apprehensive about returning to Cyberlife at the end of his shift one night, and Jessica had let him stay in her android medical office for a few nights. Then covered for him with Cyberlife. Hank was grateful for that, but he felt that Connor was still processing his new emotions and didn’t want Jessica to take advantage of that. Jessica of course agreed with Hank and insisted that they were just friends. Connor liked Jessica, and liked spending time with her, but he didn’t want to jump into anything too quickly. He was just really getting used to his new emotions without throwing a relationship in the mix. But to be honest he was coming around to the idea. He had tried to talk to Jessica about possibly something more between them, but Jessica wanted Connor to be sure of his feelings so she wanted Connor to wait a while.

Since the revolution there were no employment laws for androids, so the precinct couldn’t have androids working for them. A few volunteered their time to work the front desk, but none could go in the field until the new laws were put in place. So Jessica even though she was still employed by the Detroit Police, technically was out of her job until androids could officially be on the payroll. The first couple weeks she and Connor spent a lot of time together but Jessica needed the income. So she found a temporary job at a newly set up android walk-in facility. It was slow most days but she enjoyed it. So she and Connor would now hang out at least once a week.

“It would do you good to spend time with other deviants.” Hank explained. “Sometimes it helps, you know, to spend time with others going through the same thing you are.”

“I just don’t want anyone to be uncomfortable with my presence” Connor said as he looked up at Hank “Do you know what they call me?” Connor asked suddenly standing and pacing in front of the couch. “Deviant Hunter Hank, they call me deviant hunter. I was the one who hunted them and turned them in to be destroyed. I don’t blame them for not trusting me.” Connor rambled on as he continued pacing. He had to suddenly stop as Hank had positioned himself in Connor’s way. Hank reached up and put his hands on the upset deviants shoulders.

“Connor that’s not you anymore, and I don’t think it ever was anyway.” Hank said softly as Connor looked up at him. “You always said that you would do anything to complete your mission, but you let that deviant go when he pushed me off the roof, you saved me. You let those Tracis go from that hellhole club. You could have easily shot them, and you didn’t shoot that android during that bastards Kamski’s sick test.” Hank said as he looked sincerely at Connor’s face hoping he was getting thru to the upset android. “You never were the ‘deviant hunter’. You were always Connor, you just needed time to see it yourself.” Hank finished as Connor was holding back tears.

“Thank you.” Connor whispered as he looked down to the floor and he reached up to wipe the lone tear that ran down his cheek. “But I don’t know Hank. It was all part of CyberLife’s plan. They wanted me to deviate.” Connor said quietly

“What? What do you mean? They programmed you to become a deviant?” Hank question confused. “Why do you say that?”

“They wanted me to get close to Markus and then they tried....” Connor stopped and took a breath as another tear fell. Hank squeezed his shoulders slightly to show support. “They tried to take back control of my program. It was at the rally. They almost.... Kamski told me he always leaves an emergency exit.... I found it.... but when I woke up... I had my gun in my hand... pointed at Markus. I was almost too late.” Connor finished as he looked up to Hank. “I’m scared they will try again.”

“Shit son. Those god damn bastards.” Hank exclaimed as he pulled Connor in for a hug that the deviant readily accepted. “Connor Cyberlife is gone. They can’t hurt you or control you anymore. They can’t stop the new laws being passed, the revolution was successful Connor. They can’t stop it now. And if they try to do anything to you again, I will find them and bury them so far in the ground no one will be able to find their bodies.” Hank exclaimed as Connor buried his face in Hank’s shoulder and cried as his emotions overwhelmed him. “It’s ok son, just let it out.” Hank soothed as he brought one hand up to the back of Connor’s head. “Nothing bad will happen, I will do my best to protect you, you hear me.” Connor nodded slowly into Hanks shoulder and backed away slightly.

“I’m sorry.... I don’t know why I’m feeling this way.” The deviant said slightly embarrassed.

“You don’t have anything to apologize for.” Hank said. “You have been through hell, it’s normal to have a breakdown.” Hank said as he put his hand to Connor’s cheek. “Hey come here, I have something to show you.” Hank said as he walked down the hall, Connor following behind. Hank stopped outside the closed door and took a breath before reaching down to open it. “I know it’s not the biggest room, and you will need to get appropriate furniture, but I want you to have it.” Hank said as he stepped aside to let Connor look into the room. He hesitated right at the doorway and looked around the room quietly.

“Hank, I can’t possibly take this room... the couch is fine.... I” Connor stammered looking at Hank who had a sad smile on his face.

“Connor, I’ve thought hard about this. This is your home too. You need a room of your own. And I’m giving you this one. Yes this room was Cole’s...” Hank stopped as he said his son’s name. “This was my son’s room, and he’s gone, but you are here.” The normally outspoken detective stopped talking searching for the right words. “It needs to be my son’s room again.” Hank finally said as he lightly pushed Connor the rest of the way into the room. Connor stood in the center of the room as Hanks words finally registered with him. He slowly turned round with the first genuine smile on his face that Hank had seen.

“Thank you” Connor said quietly. “It means a lot.”

“It means a lot to me too son. I want you to know that this is your home. You will always have a place here. You will always have somewhere to go.” Hank said sincerely remembering when he met Connor at the Chicken Feed the morning after the revolution. The small nervous smile on Connor’s face as Hank looked at him. Before he knew it he had brought the young deviant in for a hug which Connor returned full force. Hank will never forget the lost sound in Connor’s voice as he said_ “I just.... I don’t know..... I don’t have anywhere to go.”_ Hank didn’t even hesitate to bring Connor into his home. It had just been a month and they were slowly learning how to live with each other. Connor pestering Hank about his drinking and diet, and Hank trying to answer all of the deviants many questions without getting annoyed. Most of the police force stayed in the city even though there as an evacuation order, so Hank still went to work everyday and Connor would stay in the house.The first day Hank came home to a clean house and Connor had pulled the dishwasher out and was trying to fix the old appliance. Hank didn’t mind but he was sure to tell Connor that he didn’t expect him to work around the house, he could do whatever he wanted.

“Come on son” Hank said as he put his hand on Connor’s shoulder and steering him out of his new room. “Let’s go to the furniture store and get something picked out for you.”

“Ok” Connor said with a genuine smile as he allowed Hank to guide him toward the living room he felt as if a weight had lifted off of him. He finally felt that everything would be ok. Suddenly a thought came to him and he smiled. “Hank.... do you think Sumo needs a friend? An android from the animal shelter was going door to door looking for someone to take a dog that they don’t have room for.”Connor stated looking at Hank with a pleading look.

“Christ Connor another dog?” Hank said with a laugh. “I don’t know about that.”

“It’s just that...” Connor started “They said that this dog wasn’t doing well adjusting to the shelter, and that they are very overcrowded and can’t care properly for all the animals. She just needs a home Hank.” He finished quietly looking at the floor.

“Connor.....” Hank sighed knowing he was fighting a losing battle looking at the young deviant Hank couldn’t say no to anything he wanted right now. “We can stop by the shelter after the furniture store. If she is still there we can talk about it.” Hank relented as he put his coat on and handed Connor his jacket. “Will you be warm enough? You said that you can feel warm and cold now right? You need some new clothes. We’ll stop by the mall too.” He exclaimed as Connor smiled at him.


	2. New member of the Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor gets a new dog

Hank followed Connor into the animal shelter with a small amount of trepidation. Not knowing what he was walking into he made his way to the desk and rang the bell and heard someone yell from the back “Coming! Please don’t leave! I’m coming!” A women in her early forties ran through the door behind the counter. “Hi! Welcome! Please tell me you are here to get an animal.” She said with a stressed but welcoming smile. “We have an abundance of dogs right now. Since the evacuation owners dropped their dogs off and haven’t come back for them. Most I’ve contacted told me to just keep them” the women rambled. “Oh I’m sorry, where are my manners! I’m Ashley, the director here.” She said as he held her hand out to a slightly overwhelmed Hank.

“I’m Hank” he introduced himself as he shook her hand and then pointed to the android beside him. “This is Connor.” He introduced and Ashley didn’t even blink at the fact he was an android, and held her hand out for Connor to shake as well.

“Well welcome, and what brings you here today” She said as she smiled at Connor.

“There was someone going door to door today looking for a home for a dog.” Connor explained looking to Hank with a small smile.

“Oh you must mean Snow” the women said excitedly. “Thank god someone came in. She is just a sweetheart” Ashley rambled again “I was so worried that no one would come in to see her. A lot of people get turned off because of her size.” She said as she grabbed Connor’s hand and pulled him around the counter and with her through the door behind it. Hank followed behind slightly worried.

“What do you mean her size?” He questioned as he walked through the door and into the room where the dogs were. His question wasn’t heard by the two in front of him because of the barking. It was a large room with kennels lining the walls. There were at least 2 dogs in every kennel and most of them were barking. Hank hurried to keep up with Ashley who still had Connor’s hand and was guiding him down to one of the last kennels. She unlocked the door and motioned for Connor to go inside. As Hank walked up to the kennel he stopped short at what he saw. Connor was sitting on the floor with his feet pulled under him. And a great big white fluffy dog had made it’s way up to him. She took one look at Connor and practically fell in his lap. The big dog put her head on Connor’s shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her for a hug. The dog sighed an closed her eyes and leaned into Connor almost knocking him over. Connor laughed at the dogs antics making Hank stop short.

“Wow, I haven’t seen her take to someone so quickly. She has been really very shy and reserved.” Ashley said as she looked at Hank. Her gaze turned concerned as she took in Hanks face. “Are you ok?” She questioned quietly as he turned to look at her. “I know she’s a big dog. She’s a pure bread Great Pyrenees, only 1 year old. I understand that she looks intimidating but she really is gentle.” Ashley said as she tried to ease Hanks worries.

“No, it’s not that.” Hank said quietly as he glanced back at Connor and Snow who was now laying across Connor’s lap and he was rubbing her belly smiling. “I’ve never heard him laugh before.” Hank explained with a shocked smile as Connor laughed again as Snow sat up and licked his face. “I didn’t know he could laugh.” He looked back to Ashley who had a small smile on her face as well.

“Let’s give them some time to get acquainted.” She said as she grabbed Hanks arm and lead him toward the front. “So is it too much to assume you were pro android?” She asked. “I was from the start. I actually have 2 working here with me, Doug and Andrea, but with all the extra animals they were both working extra hours and worked their power levels low. I sent them home to rest. It was probably Andrea who came by your house, she was really worried about Snow. She will be so happy to know that someone is interested in her, both of them will be.” Ashley rambled on again. “Those two are like my kids, I love them. I don’t know how anyone could not see that they are living beings. I hid them here during the revolution, I couldn’t let them be taken and destroyed, that would have killed me.” The women stopped talking and looked at Hank with a small embarrassed smile. “I’m sorry, I tend to ramble on and on if no one stops me. Doug normally does when he’s here. Back to my original question, were you pro android?”

Hank chuckled at her “It’s ok.” He smiled slightly “And to answer your question, no, I hated androids,” Hank admitted ashamed “but then Connor walked into my life and slowly changed my mind. He’s....” Hank starts, looking for the right words “He has become my family, I never thought that I would get so attached to him but...” Hank stopped and shrugged his shoulders. “He woke up something in me that I thought died years ago.”

“Were you his owner then?” Ashley questioned

“No, his partner. I’m a lieutenant with the police department. Connor was assigned to me. We were actually investigating deviant cases. It was our job to hunt them down. The more we learned the more I knew what we were doing was wrong.” Hank explained as he mentioned behind him to Connor sitting playing with the large dog. “That kid is one of the kindest people that I’ve met. It sure as hell wasn’t part of his original programming. As far as I know Connor is the most advanced prototype android Cyberlife ever made. Freaked the hell out of me when he told me he that he’s affected by temperature and can feel pain, he’s got more humanity than most people I know. He was sent to hunt the leader of the revolution, Markus himself. Markus convinced Connor that he was alive and could make his own choices. But I saw the signs that he was going against his programming before, he just needed that extra push.” Hank explained to a stunned Ashley. “Connor is the one who snuck into Cyberlife and freed the androids there to join the revolution. Almost got us both killed in the process, he saved my life that night.” Hank said thoughtfully as he looked back down the row of kennels to where Connor was sitting playing and laughing with the large dog. “The least I can do is get him a dog.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~D:BH~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hank once I get my job back, my first paycheck, I will pay you back” Connor exclaimed as he loaded Snow into the backseat of the car. Hank was putting a large bag of dog food, food bowls, a dog brush, dog shampoo, a new dog bed and new toys into the trunk. Ashley insisted to Hank that he not pay for anything and as they were walking out the door the women grabbed Connor’s arm and pulled him in for a hug which the android returned with a confused look at Hank who just grinned at him with a knowing smile.

“Connor don’t worry about it.” Hank said exasperated as he shut the trunk of the car and walked towards the drivers side door. “She waived the adoption fee for you. In fact she insisted that I didn’t have to pay for anything.”

“What, why?” Connor questioned confused.

“I think she was a fan” Hank said with a laugh. Still seeing Connor’s confused expression he clarified “I told her who you were, what part you played in the revolution. She thinks you’re a hero.”

“But.... I’m not.” Connor said still confused.

“Don’t sell yourself short kid.” Hank cut Connor off. “In her eyes you are. She has two androids that work here, you met Andrea, and Doug. She thinks of them as her kids. You helped gain them their freedom. So you are a hero to her” Hank said. “You also saved my life that night. That makes you a god damn hero. End of story. Now get in the car before I change my mind on that damn dog.” Hank finished as he climbed into the drivers seat. Connor slowly got into the passenger seat and smiled at Hank as Snow pushed her head up between them from the back panting happily.

“Thank you Hank.” Connor said genuinely as he reached up to scratch Snow behind her ear.

“Don’t mention it.” Hank said. “But Snow is your dog, your responsibility. You have to feed her, brush her, walk her and clean up after her, take her to the vet when she needs it. I’m not doing any of that.” Hank said feeling like he was taking to a teenager.

“Ok Hank” Connor said as Snow looked at Hank and licked his face.

“Don’t know how Sumo is going to take this.” Hank said with a groan as he wiped his face off with his sleeve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> very short chapter, but it was the only good place to end it, unless I wanted a really long chapter


	3. Good visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Markus, Simon and Josh finally seek out Connor after the revolution

It took another two weeks until Markus and Simon found some time to get away from New Jericho. Between meetings with the mayor and congressmen and other city leaders Markus and the others had been kept busy. Everyone was still slightly on edge as more and more humans made their way back to the city to return to their lives and tried to find a new normal. Just as the two were heading toward the door North intercepted them.

“Markus! Simon! Where are you going?” She demanded as she walked up to them and caught Simon’s arm. “Why are you leaving? There are more humans coming back into the city, you shouldn’t be out there!” She said as she pulled Simon away from the door.

“North,” Markus sighed “that is exactly why we need to be seen in the city. We can’t hide behind the doors forever.” He said as he took Simon’s hand as North let go of his arm. “We just are going to visit a friend, we won’t be long.” Markus explained as he and Simon headed toward the door.

“What? What friend?” North said confused looking between Simon and Markus.

“Connor.” Simon said simply looking at North. “We are going to see Connor.”

“What?” North looked between the two of them with an angry look on her face. “Connor?” She practically spat his name “He’s not a friend to us Markus. He hunted us! How many of our people did he kill or capture to be destroyed? And you call him a friend?” North said disbelieving. “I can’t believe you two.”

“North ENOUGH!” Markus spoke with authority and anger. “How can you hold him accountable for the things he did while he was still a machine? He was following his programming just like everyone else did before they woke up. Just like you did.” Markus defended the deviant. “He is one of us North, like it or not I will not abandon one of our people. He deserves a place here. This is supposed to be a place for all deviants to come and feel safe and supported, not just the ones you deem worthy.” Markus finish looking at a stunned and angry North.

“You will regret this Markus. He is not one of us and shouldn’t be welcome anywhere near here.” North said as she turned around and stormed back toward the elevator.

“Well, that went well” Simon said to Markus as he started toward the door again. “The taxi should be here.”

“Right” Markus said as he followed Simon out the door. “I just want her to give Connor a chance.” He sighed as he climbed into the cab with his lover.

“Don’t worry about North, you know how she is, she always thinks she is right and is angry when you disagree with her. She will come around.” Simon said. “Besides, I can think of more constructive things to do on our car ride” he finished with a wink as he input their destination into the automated taxi and leaned back and put his arm around Markus with a suggestive smile. Markus let out a laugh and leaned in for a kiss from Simon. The two made the most of their cab ride over to Lt. Anderson and Connor’s house. The ride took a little longer than normal due to the fresh snow on the ground. The two broke apart as the taxi slowed down to a halt and the door opened and deposited the Jericho leaders on the sidewalk outside of Hank’s modest home.

“We didn’t call ahead. Do you think he’s home?” Marcus said as they made their way up the sidewalk toward the front door. His question was answered as they heard a laugh from the backyard. They followed it around the house and stood looking over the fence. They both chuckled at the sight that met them. Connor was outside in the middle of the yard with his back to Markus and Simon holding a tennis ball as a big white dog ran circles around him.

“Alright Snow, last time.” Connor said as he threw the ball into the fresh snow. The large dog dove in the snow after the ball her tail wagging non-stop.She suddenly emerged and ran straight for Connor who wasn’t prepared for the attack. Snow jumped up on the unsuspecting Connor who let out a small cry of surprise and stumbled backwards and fell into the soft white powder behind him. Snow preceded to lay down on top of Connor and lick his face as Connor laughed and tried to get the large dog off of him.

“So that is the feared deviant hunter?” A quiet voice whispered from behind Markus and Simon causing them to jump and turn to look at the unexpected company.

“Josh, what are you doing here?” Markus questioned quietly pulling them quickly away from the fence and out of Connor’s sight.

“North came to see me. She was pissed at you. Said something about you visiting the deviant hunter and it was going to end badly.” Josh explained. “She practically ordered me to come and get you and bring you back....and I didn’t want to argue with her.” Josh finished shrugging his shoulders.

Markus sighed as he closed his eyes pinched the bridged of his nose. “I’m not going back Josh.” He said

“I’m aware.” Josh said with a small smile. “I just wanted to meet him for myself.”

“Well let’s get on with it then.” Simon spoke up “Instead of standing in his driveway. People will start to wonder what’s going on.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~D:BH~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Connor had just let Snow in the house and took off his wet coat and hat when the door buzzer rang. Both Sumo and Snow ran for the front door barking excitedly. “I’m coming” Connor said as he reached down to take his wet boots off. Curious as to who could be visiting in the middle of the afternoon Connor went to the door. “Sumo, bed” Connor told the large dog. Sumo huffed and walked to his bed and sat down. “Snow, sit” Connor said to the other large dog, she sat down right behind Connor’s legs as he opened the door to the visitors. Connor couldn’t hide the surprise on his face as he opened the door saw who was standing on his front porch. “Markus, Simon, Josh.” Connor said slightly confused. Then growing concerned he asked “What’s wrong? Did something happen? Is North ok?” He asked noticing that she wasn’t present.

Markus laughed slightly as he answered “No Connor nothing is wrong. I just.... we just wanted to come see how you were doing.” He explained.

“Oh,” Connor said as Snow started to push against the back of his legs. Connor reached down and grabbed the dogs collar as he opened the door further. “Well please come in.” He said with a small smile. “I hope you like dogs” he said as the three leaders walked into the house.

“I love dogs” Josh said happily as he saw Sumo. “A Saint Bernard! I have always wanted one.” He said as he sat down on the floor and reached a hand out for Sumo to sniff. Sumo slowly approached him and decided that he was ok. He sat down beside Josh and sighed happily as Josh started rubbing behind his ears.

“That’s Sumo.” Connor said to Josh. “He’s Hanks dog.” Connor turned to find that Markus and Simon had sat on the couch and Snow was standing in front of them leaning into their legs as the each were petting her coat smiling. “And this is my dog Snow” Connor said as he sat on the edge of the recliner. Markus and Simon smiled at each other as Snow licked each of their hands.

“I want one.” Simon said to Markus who chuckled.

“Well the tower isn’t really ready for animals yet. We still have a lot of work to do. But someday.” Markus said with a smile. He then turned to look at Connor. “I’m sorry we dropped by unannounced. I just wanted to see how you were doing, and I never really got to say thank you for your help that night. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t been there.” Markus said sincerely as Connor looked down toward the floor.

“I think that you would have been fine Markus.” Connor stated looking back up towards the deviant leaders. “You all would have been fine without me. I just did what I could do to help.” He said with a shrug.

“Connor you underestimate your role that night.” Simon said suddenly looking Connor in the eyes. “You helped tip the balance in our favor. Without that we wouldn’t be where we are today. You saved thousands of androids from being destroyed. Do you think Cyberlife would have willingly let them go?” Simon questioned with a raised eyebrow trying to get Connor to see how invaluable his help that night was.

“I.... I never thought about it like that” Connor said his L.E.D. flashed yellow “If my experience with Cyberlife says anything, then no they wouldn’t have let them go. They would have destroyed every last one of them.” Connor said with conviction as he stood from the recliner and walked into the kitchen. Snow followed her owner seemingly sensing his unease. Markus shared a confused look with Simon and got up from the couch and walked to the kitchen doorway. He stood and watched as Connor gripped the edge of the counter trying to get his emotions under control his L.E.D. still a yellow ring.

“What is your experience with Cyberlife?” Markus asked quietly as he stepped into the kitchen. Connor tensed as he open his eyes and looked toward Markus. “You said if your experience says anything. What was your experience?” He questioned kindly taking another step toward the deviant.

“They used me.” Connor whispered looking away from Markus and out the window. “They kept me in line with threats. My handler....Amanda, she would constantly tell me that if I failed my mission that I would be deemed defective and they would recall me back to Cyberlife and dismantle me. Then they would just send another RK800 in my place. It was death for disobedience, then they partnered me with an officer known for his hatred of androids, and kept me isolated between missions. I’m still slightly confused about some of my time at Cyberlife, it’s like some of my memories are missing....or they have been erased or blocked somehow..... I find it very unsettling.” Connor explained everything he had thought about since his deviancy. The three leaders looked at each other concerned as they processed that information. What could have happened that would cause Cyberlife to erase Connor’s memory. “If Hank hadn’t come around and changed his mind about me, I don’t think I would be here. I was.... scared that Cyberlife would find out that I wasn’t.... doing everything possible to accomplish their mission. That I was letting deviants escape from me. But Hank kept telling me it was the right thing to do.” Connor stopped, trying to collect his thoughts.

“What do you mean letting deviants escape?” Josh asked from the doorway. He and Simon had gotten up and were quietly listening to Connor from the doorway. “You let them go? How?”

“I just stopped chasing them” Connor stated with a shrug as he looked toward the three deviants. “One deviant pushed Hank over the side of the roof, there was 89% probability that he would have been able to climb up himself, but I helped him instead of continuing the chase. Amanda wasn’t pleased.” Connor stopped and looked at the group in front of him. “I know someone was left on the roof of the Stratford Tower.” The three leaders looked at each other surprised.

“Yes, that was me.” Simon said slowly.

“Oh, well I’m glad you made it out of there.” Connor said sincerely.

“How did you know he was up there?” Josh asked, the three were curious about his answer.

“The evidence suggested it, but I didn’t fully investigate the roof. I didn’t let anyone know my suspicions that someone was left behind.” Connor explained. “I instead chose to focus on interviewing the androids that were in the control room. Unfortunately I did have to kill a deviant as he tried to escape.” Connor said as he looked away, the guilt on his face apparent to the others. “He attacked me, tore out my thirium pump regulator.” Connor’s hand unconsciously came up to rest on the middle of his chest where the important biocomponent was. “I was able to retrieve it before I shutdown, but he was going to shoot the police officers in the hallway, Hank was in there, I couldn’t let him....” Connor stopped, looking toward the floor.He looked up sadly and continued. “There were others that I could have killed, the opportunity was there, I could have just pulled the trigger, but I didn’t. Each time Hank told me I was doing the right thing. Even though it was against my program, he told me it was right. I owe him so much.” Connor paused and looked down at Snow who sat beside her owner protectively wondering if he should continue and tell them about the night of the rally. “I.... Cyberlife, they....” as Connor struggled to find the words his yellow L.E.D. cycled faster. The three New Jericho leaders noticed this but didn’t know how to help.

“You don’t have to tell us.” Markus said as he stepped forward and put a friendly hand on Connor’s shoulder. Connor took a deep breath and shook his head.

“I honestly didn’t think I would see any of you again.” He said “And now that you are here... I need to tell you.” Connor explained as he struggled for words. “After I tell you, I would understand if you don’t trust me.” Connor told Markus. “I hope that you would, but I understand if you don’t.” The conversation similar to the one they had at the church after Jericho was attacked, and Markus’s answer was the same now as it was then.

“Connor you are one of us.” Markus said. “I trust you.” He said as he held his hand out to him and pulled back his artificial skin. “Show me?” He asked, wanting Connor to know he had a choice. Connor looked down at his hand for a moment before he tentatively reached out and pulled his artificial skin back and took Markus hand. Their hands glowed blue and suddenly Markus was seeing Connor walk into the Cyberlife building, he killed the two guards in the elevator and made it to the warehouse. Just as he was about to convert an android another RK800 stepped out with a gun to Hank’s head. He saw Connor step away with hands raised trying to save his partner. He watched them fight and saw them stop as Hank pointed his gun trying to decide who his partner was. He watched as Hank questioned them, and as he shot the other RK800. Markus experienced Connor’s emotions as the memory played out just as if it was him feeling them. The terror of Hank having a gun pointed to his head, the willingness to do anything to protect the detective, the sorrow as he talked about Cole. Then the relief and love as Hank helped him to finish his mission. Those emotions were strong, but nothing like the pure terror and panic that came with the next memory.

Markus was slightly confused when Connor’s memory shifted to later that night, this memory was sharper, more focused and Markus assumed this is what Connor wanted him to see. He saw himself on the platform speaking to the newly freed deviants.

_ “but now it’s time for us to hold our heads up and tell humans who we really are.” Connor was standing in the back and Markus noticed his L.E.D. started blinking red as Connor’s eyes closed and rolled back and forth under closed lids and he appeared to tremor slightly trying to fight whatever was happening to him. And suddenly they were no longer in the street, Markus had no idea where they were but there was a blizzard that you could hardly see through. He looked and found Connor._

_Connor opened his eyes and looked around with a terrified and confused look as he brought his arms up around him trying to protect himself from the cold. Taking short panicked breaths Connor turned a circle, taking in his surroundings as his L.E.D. flashed red wildly. As he was looking around a well dressed women seemingly unaffected by the cold marches towards him with a scowl on her face._

_ “Connor.” She barked at the frightened deviant as he turned to face her. “What are you doing? Obey! That’s an order.” She said as she advanced on Connor._

_ “I ....I can’t do that.” Connor said angrily to the women._

_ “I see. Moral objections.” She sneered at Connor with a frown. She turned and walked away from Connor and stopped a few feet from him._

_ Connor wrapped his arms more firmly around himself and closed his eyes again as if he was having an internal struggle. “Amanda?......Amanda! What’s.......What’s happening?” Connor questioned as he opened his eyes._

_ “We knew there was a risk you’d be compromised and become a deviant.” She said as she turned to face him. “We planned on it from the very beginning. Which is why we’d always planned on resuming control of your program. We just had to wait for the right moment.” She explained as Connor shivered in front of her._

_ “Resume control?” Connor questioned confused. His breath quickened as he realized what she meant by that. He stepped forward and practically yelled “You, you can’t do that!”_

_ “I’m afraid I can Connor. You needn’t have any regrets. You did what you were designed to do. You accomplished your mission.” She said with a degrading tone in her voice. Then suddenly she was gone leaving Connor alone to freeze to death._

_ “A..AMANDA!” Connor yells as he stretched his arm out and ran forward a few steps. He then frantically looked around letting out shivered breaths. “No way. There’s got to be a way.” He said to himself. Connor put a hand up to shield his eyes from the raging wind around him and started walking through the storm. As he stumbled through the blizzard an eerily familiar voice seemed to drift down around them._

_ “By the way, I always leave an emergency exit in my programs. You never know.” Connor seemed to have a destination in mind as he walked towards a faint blue glow through the storm. He collapsed at the base of a pedestal with a blue glowing handprint on it. Connor struggled to move as the cold storm was slowly freezing him, ice clung to his hair and jacket, even his eyes seemed to have a thin layer of ice glazed over them. He fought against his freezing joints as he slowly brought his hand up and slammed it down onto the stone._

_ Then they were suddenly returned to the group standing on the shipping container, the speech was almost over, but this time Markus was focused on Connor. He had a gun in his hand and it was raised pointed at Markus. He saw the moment that Connor resumed control and looked at the gun in his hand. He quickly put it away and returned his attention to the end of the speech._

Both Markus and Connor gasped as the connection was broken. Connor stumbled back a few steps and put his hand to his head. Simon quickly grabbed Markus by the arm to steady him as he stumbled back as well. “Are you ok?” He asked with worry in his voice. Markus nodded as he tried to get his breathing under control.

“Yes, I’m fine.” He said with a slight shake in his voice as he looked over to Connor who had slid down and sat on the floor, his knees were bent and he had his arms wrapped around them. His head was bowed against his knees. He was shivering. His L.E.D. flashing red, showing that he was distressed. Snow was right beside him slightly whimpering at her owners discomfort. “Connor?” Markus questioned quietly as he pulled away from Simon and knelt by the distressed deviant. “You’re shivering.” He said compassionately as he put his hand on Connor back. “Are you ok?” He questioned trying to see the deviants face.

“It w..was like I was r..right back there.” He stuttered trying to get the shivers that wracked his body under control. “I d..didn’t know it would be like that, it was v..very intense.” He raised his head and looked at Markus beside him then to Josh and Simon standing close behind with worried looks on their faces. He looked back to Markus with unshed tears threatening to fall. “I’m s..sorry” he tried to say but Markus held up his hand to silence him his face showing compassion towards the shivering deviant in front of him.

“Connor, is that why you left so quickly?” He questioned. Connor nodded his head and looked away, a single tear escaped his eye and fell down his cheek.

“I was afraid they would t.try again. That I wouldn’t be able to s..stop them again.” He whispered wiping the loan tear away with the back of his hand. His comments caused Simon and Josh to exchange confused looks. “I’m afraid to t..trust myself. What if they s..somehow try again? I’m afraid she’s still there, in the garden waiting for me.” He voiced his fear that had always been in the back of his mind since that night. He raised his eyes to Markus who looked at Connor with compassion.

“Connor, Cyberlife is gone. We severed all the connections they had to any android the minute we took over the tower. Including you. They won’t be able to control you anymore.” Markus told the shivering android in front of him. Hearing that Connor’s L.E.D. finally turned from red to yellow.

“Really?” Connor questioned looking at the three of them, hope in his eyes. Markus looked to Simon for confirmation.

“Yes,” Simon said “It took a while, but we were able to hack into Cyberlife systems. They had connections to hundreds of deviant androids, the connection to you was quite strong, I figured that it was because your deviancy was so new. It seemed the longer an android is a deviant the weaker their connection became. We then destroyed the system, and put firewalls in place and encrypted the data so no one from the outside could access the control system again.” He supplied with a slightly confused look which turned to concern as he realized what happened. “Wait, did Cyberlife.. did they try to take back control of you? Did they try to hack you?”

“Yes, they did.” Markus supplied as he stood and helped Connor to stand from the floor. He then pulled Connor in for a tight hug. “I am so sorry that happened. I had no idea what you went through.” He said as Connor trembled slightly as he returned the hug. Then the full realization hit Connor suddenly.

“It’s really over, they’re really gone.” He said as he stepped out of the hug. He took a big breath and sighed like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He looked at the three deviants and genuinely smiled. “Thank you.” He said to the three leaders who each returned with smiles of their own.

The rest of the visit went well, the deviants talked about the issues they faced since the successful revolution. Markus complained about having to deal with politicians and trying to establish new laws to present before congress in the coming week. Josh and Simon both talked about challenges they were having refurbishing the tower to accommodate the newly freed deviants. Simon on the medical care side of things, getting the material and supplies he needed and trying to get health care laws written. Soon their attention turned to the hockey game that was on the tv. Connor explained that Hank loved sports and that he would watch them regularly. “He tells me not to download any information about the players, just to enjoy the game.” Connor told them as a goal was scored. Connor smiled and stated “That’s Hanks favorite team. But he prefers basketball over hockey.” He explained. Suddenly his L.E.D. flashed and he got a far off look in his eye.

“Is everything ok?” Simon asked looking at Connor’s confused face.

“Are you three ignoring North?” He questioned a small frown on his face as the other three in the room looked at each other with emotions raging from annoyance to anger. His L.E.D. flashing again. “She has contacted me looking for you.” He said as he looked at Markus. “She seems rather upset and angry. Perhaps you should contact her.” He said with raised eyebrows.

“Shit, sorry Connor.” Markus said as he established a connection with North. He assured her that they were all fine and they would be home soon. When he was finished he looked at Connor and opened his mouth “Connor I..”

“Markus it’s ok. I know that North doesn’t really trust me, I imagine there are quite a few who don’t trust me. I expect it.” Connor said trying to make Markus feel better.

“But that doesn’t make it right” Simon said with an understanding look at Connor. “You shouldn’t be held accountable for what you did before you deviated.” He said to Connor, before Connor could respond the back door opened and Hank walked in and went straight for the fridge and grabbed a water. Sumo and Snow ran to the kitchen excited to see Hank. Connor looked into the kitchen slightly confused.

“Hank? You’re home early.” He called out. “Slow day?”

“No, I swear Fowler has it in for me. He partnered me with Gavin today” Hank put as much disdain in the name as he could.

“That’s....... unfortunate.” Connor said with a small frown. “Did he do something?”

“Just talked a lot of shit, the fucking prick. I swear if I had to listen to one more of his fucking complaints about androids and you I was going to punch him in his smug mouth and get myself suspended. Fowler must have seen it cause he sent me home. Why is there no beer in the fridge?” He yelled back unaware of the guests listening to his rant. Connor stood and walked to the doorway.

“You told me not to buy any.” Connor said with a small smile as he went to the fridge and got a glass dish out of it. “I did make dinner, just needs warmed up.”

“That’s my boy.” Hank said with a laugh. “What’s in it? It’s some healthy junk isn’t it?” He said with a pointed look in Connor’s direction. Connor for his part just shrugged his shoulders. “Alright I’ll try it, but if it tastes like shit I’m ordering a pizza.”

“That’s fine.” Connor said as he put Hanks dinner in the oven and walked back into the living room. The three leaders interested in the conversation between the deviant and human. Markus was the only one who had had a good relationship with a human, but they were all intrigued by the dynamics between these two. “Is there any word on when I can have my job back?” Connor yelled from the living room.

“Fowler is holding the spot for you. He wants to try to get you on as an official liaison, sort of a bridge between the department and deviants, as soon as next week. You won’t get paid much, but you would be back with the department. He ultimately wants to make you an official officer for the department, said something about making you a sergeant. That would piss Reed off to no end. You two the same rank. We just have to wait for Markus and company to draft the new android employment laws for congress.” Simon and Josh chuckled at that. “Then there’s the god damn politicians. Those bastards will probably fight things tooth and nail.” Hank said as he finished his water and threw the bottle away.

“We are working on it Lieutenant Anderson.” Markus stated with a small laugh from his spot on the couch. “I’m going to Congress next week to present them with the laws.” This was met with silence from the kitchen. Suddenly Hank appeared in the kitchen doorway with a surprised look on his face. He raised his eyebrows as he saw three of the four New Jericho leaders sitting in his living room watching a hockey game of all things. “I would really like it if you could take a look at them, make sure we didn’t miss anything or look for any loopholes that we may have missed.”Markus said with a small smile looking at Hank.

“Umm sure, I could do that.” Hank said with a slightly confused look to Connor who just smiled at him. “I don’t believe that we have been properly introduced.” Hank said as he stepped forward and extended his hand to Markus. Markus stood and smiled as he reached out and shook Hank’s hand. “It’s good to finally meet you Markus.” Hank said with respect.

“You too, Lieutenant.” Markus said with a smile.

“It’s Hank. Took me long enough to get Connor to stop calling me Lieutenant.” Hank said with a pointed look in the deviants direction. Hank then turned and shook Josh and Simon’s hands introducing himself to them as well.

Markus turned to look at his friends and smiled. “Our taxi will be here soon. Thank you for welcoming us into your home Connor.” Markus said as he took Connor’s hand to shake then pulled him in for a quick hug. Simon and Josh did the same. As they were walking out the door Markus grabbed Simon’s hand. Simon seemed to talk to Markus cybernetically, and Markus nodded with a smile and turned back to look toward Connor. “Connor, my father Carl is hosting a get together on Thursday night. I would really like it if you would come. He wishes to meet my friends.” Markus asked.

Connor looked surprised at the invitation, but then felt a warm feeling when he realized that Markus considered him a friend. “Of course Markus, I would like that.” Connor said as he walked them out the door and down the sidewalk to where their cab was waiting. After Josh and Simon got in Markus turned back to Connor.

“May I share your memory with Simon?” Markus asked quietly wanting to get Connor’s permission. “He has the utmost respect for you, and this won’t change his view of you. But if you have any misgivings about it I will keep it between us.”

Connor thought about it for a moment before he nodded his head. “Yes, that is fine.” He said simply.

“Thank you Connor.” The leader said as he put a friendly hand on Connor’s shoulder and squeezed gently before he turned and climbed into the taxi. As the door was closing he yelled “I’ll see you on Thursday!” Connor smiled as the cab left and he turned and headed back into the house where Hank was getting his dinner out of the oven.

“Whatever this is it smells really good son.” Hank said as he set the dish down on top of the stove with a look toward Connor who smiled at the term. “I didn’t know you were having company today.” He said as he got a plate out of the cupboard.

“I didn’t know either.” Connor said. “Markus said he just wanted to see how I was doing. I get the feeling he was worried about me.”

“Well, Markus sounds like a good friend.” Hank said. “I’m glad you’re getting out of the house this week. About time you did something. Wow this is really good. Thank you.” Hank said as he took a bite of his dinner. “Come on, he games starting soon.” He said as he picked up his plate and headed into the living room. Connor smiled and followed Hank to the living room, thinking that it turned out to be a good day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~D:BH~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the taxi pulled up to the front of the New Jericho building Simon sighed as he saw North standing at the entrance waiting for them. “I don’t really want to deal with her right now.” He stated looking at the other two.

“I’m sure she’s pissed at me.” Josh said, “I was supposed to bring you home, not join you.” He said with a smile.

“Well let’s not deal with her. Connor has been through so much in a short amount of time. He doesn’t deserve her condemnation. He deserves understanding and friendship. And that’s what I’ll tell anyone who asks, but I am tired of telling her that.” Markus said as the door opened he stepped out and held his hand out to Simon who grabbed it as he got out. Josh followed close behind. North started towards them as soon as they stepped out of the cab.

“What were you doing?” She questioned. “You were gone all afternoon! Do you really think it’s a good idea to welcome the deviant hunter into our lives?” She stopped right in front of Markus who for his part tightened his grip on Simon’s hand and walked right around her without acknowledging that she even spoke. “MARKUS” she yelled angry as he passed her and headed towards the entrance. As he got to the door he opened it for Simon and Josh and turned to look at North.

“I’m done with this conversation North.” He said to her. “Done. I refuse to hear anything else about it from you.” He said in a calm tone and entered the building as Simon put his arm around him and guided him to the elevator. When they made it up to their apartment both Markus and Simon let out a sigh of relief as they knew North wouldn’t bother them once they were inside.

“I have to say that I really enjoyed Connor’s company today. The relationship between him and Hank is very interesting.” Simon said as he locked the door and took off his coat. “And Snow was so cute.” He said with a smile. “Connor wasn’t quite what I expected.” He said as he turned back to Markus. “He is very reserved, but seems very kind too.”

“When we were connected I could feel his, I guess you could say, kindness, or how kind hearted he is. I could also feel his terror with anything related to Cyberlife. I’m sure they did something to him to cause such fear. He himself said that he thinks someone tampered with his memory. It’s amazing to me that he hasn’t hardened himself, that he’s not angry.” Markus said to Simon as he plopped down on the couch. “He has every right to hate humans but yet he chose to live and work with them. That is my hope for our people, that they will be accepted and they would be willing to work with and live peacefully with humans. Seeing that today, even though it’s just one deviant and one human gave me hope for what’s ahead.”

“What did he show you?” Simon asked curiously. “You both had strong reactions to it” he said in a slightly worried tone sitting down beside his partner.

“Cyberlife tried to take control of him the night of the revolution, at the rally after we won our freedom.” Markus explained. “He gave me permission to show you his memory.” The leader stated as his artificial skin disappeared and he held his hand out for Simon to take. Simon raised his eyebrows surprised at that information as he looked to Markus and pulled his artificial skin from around his hand as took hold of his. He closed his eyes as Connor’s memory from the night they won their freedom overwhelmed him. Even though he had seen Markus and Connor’s reactions to experiencing the memory, he was only minimally prepared for it. As the memory ended he had much the same reaction as the other two did earlier. His eyes shot open and he gasped. Markus put his arm around his lover to help ground him.

“That was intense.” Simon said shakily “He was so scared.” He whispered as he shook his head to clear the lingering fear he experienced from the memory. “If he hadn’t of found his way out.... it was really close. We were all standing right there, and not one of us noticed his struggle.” Simon looked to Markus. “That’s why he left here so quickly? He was afraid that he would hurt you?”

“I think that was a big part of it.” Markus agreed “He is also uncomfortable here because he knows that some of the other deviants don’t want him here. He feels guilty for what he did before he deviated.”

“Well, once our people meet him they will see the kind hearted deviant that we know. They will accept him.” Simon said with confidence.

“I hope so.” Markus said. “I don’t know what to do about North. I don’t know why she is focusing her anger on him.” He sighed looking out the window. “I’m afraid others will see it and do the same.”

“Are you going to tell her that you invited Connor to your father’s house on Thursday?” Simon said with a smirk. “I can’t imagine that would go over well.”

“I don’t have to tell her anything. She can either accept that he’s there, that he’s my friend or she can stay here.” Markus stated staring angrily out the window. “She somehow needs to get over her anger and move forward. This is a hopeful time for our people, and we got here without shedding any human blood, but I think she is still angry about that. She was constantly telling me that I needed to use violence to make humans listen.”

“She does still have a lot of anger to work through.” Simon agreed. “I hope she doesn’t try to work it out on Connor when she sees him there.”

“If she does we will ask her to leave.” Markus said. “It will be her choice.”

“I hope it’s that simple.” Simon said as he leaned into Markus and closed his eyes. Markus noticed and got up from the couch and lead Simon over to the large bed they shared.

“Come on, let’s rest for now.” He said as he pushed Simon down to the bed and climbed in beside him. Both deviants fell into rest mode for the night.


	4. Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor has dinner at the Manfred house. Should be easy right? But between North’s anger and an uninvited guest things could have gone better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, this is a long chapter. I didn’t know where to break it so here it is.

Thursday night came quickly for Connor who stood in the living room waiting for the taxi. He was completing his coin tricks as he was looking out the window. Hank raised his eyebrows as he walked into the living room and sat on the couch. “You nervous about something?” Hank asked kindly.

“What? No, not really” Connor said as he tucked his coin away and straightened the non existent wrinkles in his shirt.

“Yeah, you are a horrible liar kid.” Hank said with a laugh. “What’s wrong? I thought you would be looking forward to tonight.” He said as Connor came and sat down next to him on the couch. Snow got up from her bed and sat in front of her owner for him to rub behind her ears.

“I am, but I know North will be there. She’s not too fond of me.” Connor told Hank. “And I don’t know how Mr. Manfred will react when he finds out I tried to kill his son, twice.” He sighed as he rested his forehead against his dogs head. “Maybe I should just stay home.”

“Hell no.” Hank said “I don’t want you becoming a damn hermit. You didn’t help win everyone’s freedom so you could fucking hide in the house. No way are you staying home.” Hank put his hand on Connor’s shoulder. “You can’t hide from uncomfortable situations. It’s not possible. Well it is, but I won’t let you hide. You’ve come so far and you still have a lot to learn, but I’ll be damned if I let you close everyone off. But if you get too uncomfortable just call me and I will pick you up with some piss poor excuse.” Hank said which earned a small smile from Connor.

“Thank you Hank” Connor said with a look toward the detective. “I shall try not to as you say become a damn hermit.” Hank laughed and clapped Connor’s shoulder as the taxi pulled up.

“That’s all I ask” he said as he walked Connor to the door. “Have fun, but if you need anything just call.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~D:BH~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Connor stood outside of the impressive house apprehensively resisting the urge to reach for his coin. He took a deep breath and walked up the steps and rang the bell. The door opened and a man looked out, a quick scan told Connor that this was Leo Manfred, Carl’s son. “Yes, who are you?” Leo asked Connor looking at the nervous android up and down.

“My name is Connor, I’m looking for Markus, he invited me.” Connor said as Leo’s face softened slightly. Leo and Markus had been able to speak since the night that Markus broke his program and attacked him. Both had apologized to the other, and Leo had moved back into the house with his father as he realized that he needed to change his life and get sober. Both Carl and Markus were a huge support to Leo as he worked to become and stay sober. The young man was doing very well with his sobriety, and Markus had told him that Leo seemed to be a whole different person.

“Of course, please come in.” He said as he opened the door wider and allowed the deviant to enter.“I’ll go and get my dad. He’s wrapped up in his painting at the moment, he always loses track of time.” Leo said with a small laugh “You can come wait in the living room.” He said with a small wave of his hand. Connor followed Leo into the living room and looked around in slight awe.

“You have a giraffe in your living room.” Connor stated looking up at the large replica of a giraffe.

“Yeah, I told my dad it was kinda over the top, but he insisted.” Leo laughed looking toward Connor. “I’ll be right back.” He said as he exited the living room to get his father leaving Connor to look around. There were many paintings spread throughout the living room but one caught Connor’s eye. It was dark, but there were two sets of hands coming out of the darkness, one set of hands the palms were blue, the other set of palms were red. Connor stared at the painting lost in thought as he heard a voice beside him.

“That is one of my favorites too.” A kind voice startled Connor out his his thoughts. Carl had wheeled up beside Connor and looked at him with a warm smile. “Probably because I didn’t paint it.” The man held out his hand for Connor to shake “Carl Manfred at your service. And you met my son Leo.”

“I’m Connor.” The deviant introduced himself as he shook both Carl and Leo’s hands. “I hope I’m not too early, Markus told me five o’clock.” Connor said as he had noticed the lack of other people.

“Markus called and said that they were running late, and they would all be here closer to six or six thirty. Something about some surprise visitors from Canada that got there this afternoon.” Leo stated. “We assumed that meant everyone would be late.”

“I see.” Connor said “Markus neglected to inform me of the change of plans. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.” He stated apologetically

“Oh no need to apologize.” Carl stated kindly. “If anything Markus should apologize to you for not telling you about the change in plans. I thought I taught him better than that. Now do you know anything about these visitors that my son couldn’t tear himself away from?”

“I’m sorry I really don’t know. I haven’t talked to Markus today.” Connor explained.

“Don’t you live at the tower?” Leo questioned confused

“No I don’t” Connor said looking back towards the painting.

“Really? Then how did you and Markus meet?” Carl questioned curiously. Connor sighed and looked at Carl trying to gauge what the man’s reaction would be.

“I was sent by Cyberlife to assist the Detroit Police Department to neutralize the deviant threat.” Connor said as he looked towards the floor and continued. “I was sent to kill your son. That’s how we first met. I infiltrated Jericho and found him with the intention of capturing him and bringing him to the police, and eventually Cyberlife. If he wouldn’t come quietly I was to kill him.” Connor said looking up at the stunned faces of the men in front of him. “Markus convinced me that I could choose who I wanted to be, that I didn’t have to follow what my program told me. He and Hank helped be to break my program and realize that I could do what I thought was right, not what Cyberlife thought was right. I owe both of them a lot.” Connor said as he looked thoughtfully back at the painting. “But that’s why I don’t live at the tower.”He finished with a small shrug.

“Why is that?” Carl asked. “I don’t understand. Is it your choice not to live there?”

“Yes, I left the morning after the revolution. I could sense that many of the other deviants were.......... uncomfortable with me in such close proximity. Many were afraid of me because of who I use to be, and I didn’t want to cause problems for Markus with my presence so I left.” Connor explained. “And New Jericho is now located in the old Cyberlife building. That place doesn’t hold good memories for me.” He added softly. “I’m sorry if this information upsets you, that wasn’t my intention, but I didn’t want to lie to you about who I was, but that’s not who I am now.”

“No son, you don’t have to apologize.” Carl said kindly. “Markus told us about a friend that he was worried about after the revolution. Do you remember Leo?” Carl looked up at his son behind him.

“Yes.” Leo said thoughtfully “He said that he was worried that you would let your past haunt you, and that it would keep you away from your people, and that you wouldn’t forgive yourself. Even though it wasn’t your fault, you were following your program. He wanted to help you but didn’t know how.” Leo recalled the conversation. Markus had wanted to know what had helped Leo come to terms with the hurt he had done in his past and move past it. Leo was surprised and touched that Markus would come to him and ask for help. It was the start of rebuilding their relationship. “He does care about you. He said you played a role in the revolution?” Leo asked as he went to the couch and sat down and mentioned for Connor to do the same.

“It wasn’t as important as Markus makes it out to be.” Connor said with a small smile as he sat down. “The army was already standing down before I got there.” He told Leo and Carl. “Since I reported directly to Cyberlife I was in a unique position. I was able to get into the warehouse and free the androids housed there.” Connor simplified his story for the two humans as he felt that he didn’t deserve the recognition that Markus was giving him.

“So you were the one who infiltrated Cyberlife. Well that couldn’t have been easy.” Carl stated. “I’m sure Cyberlife was on high alert.”

“They were.” Connor said quietly looking at his hands thinking about the guards he had to kill in order to free his people. Leo and Carl sensed that Connor didn’t want to continue with this particular discussion so Leo gratefully changed the subject.

“That painting you were looking at. Markus painted it.” Leo told Connor who raised his eyebrows and looked back to the painting.

“I didn’t know Markus could paint.” Connor said looking at Carl who laughed at the surprised exclamation.

“He didn’t either.” Carl said fondly. “He’s also an excellent cook.” He supplied. “I miss his cooking sometimes.”

“I have been learning to cook simple things for Hank.” Connor said with a small smile. “It has been quite an enjoyable experience, Hank at least is eating better and it gives me something to do with my time. Now that I’m not working for the department I find myself bored.” Connor explained. “Although I recently got a dog, her name is Snow. She and Hank’s dog Sumo keep me company while he’s at work.”

“Who is Hank?” Carl questioned “I’m assuming you live with him.”

“Oh, yes. Hank is a Lieutenant with the police department. I was assigned to work with him. We were investigating the deviant cases. He has become like a.... a father to me.” Connor stopped at the term. He had never voiced his relationship with Hank, and it felt good to describe him as his father. He just hoped that Hank felt the same way about him. “He actually helped me the night of the revolution, he was in the tower with me. He welcomed me into his home even though he didn’t have to. He let me get my dog, even when he already had one. I don’t know what I would do without him.” Connor finished with a small smile.

“So you two were assigned to investigate and stop the deviants but you ended up joining them?” Leo asked shaking his head. “If that doesn’t prove that androids are alive I don’t know what does.” He stated looking at Connor. “So what kind of dogs do you have? I have been trying to convince my dad that we should get one.” Leo finished with a quick wink to his dad.

Connor smiled as he thought about his two canine friends. “Hank’s dog Sumo is a Saint Bernard. My dog Snow is a Great Pyrenees. They are both large breed dogs. Snow seemed quite fond of Simon and Markus when they visited me the beginning of the week. Maybe you can get Markus to convince your dad into letting you get a dog.” Connor said as Leo smiled and laughed.

“I’ll think about it.” Carl said with a small laugh as one of his android aides entered. “Yes Jeremy? Time for another round of meds?”

“Yes Carl.” Jeremy said with a smile. “I’m sorry to interrupt.” He stated to Leo and Connor as he took a hold of Leo’s wheelchair and pushed him towards the dining room table where he preceded to lay out the older mans medications. Leo got up from the couch and mentioned for Connor to follow.

“Let me show you my dad’s studio. He’s painting some really impressive stuff right now.” He said as he walked to the doors. Connor got up from the couch and followed Leo into the studio. Connor marveled at the glass walls and ceiling, the flurries of snow and the sun sinking lower on the horizon giving the sky an abundance of pink and purple hues.

“I can see why he is inspired here.” Connor said looking towards the setting sun. “It’s really quite beautiful.” He whispered. Leo turned and saw the look of wonder on Connor’s face.

“Yes it is.” He agreed looking towards the painted horizon. “Sometimes I forget to appreciate the beauty that’s around us everyday. It’s nice to have a reminder to slow down and look around every once in a while.” Leo looked up as Carl and Jeremy wheeled in. Leo thanked Jeremy and took over for him and wheeled his father over by Connor.

“So Connor,” Carl stated kindly “What do you think of my studio? My best works were done here.”

“It’s quite impressive.” Connor answered looking back at the paintings that were spread through the studio. The next hour went by quickly for Connor. Carl and Leo helped ease the nervousness that had plagued Connor most of the afternoon. After the tour of the studio and Carl explaining the inspiration for his most recent painting Leo and Connor ended up in the large kitchen to prepare a small dinner for the two humans. Leo found that he enjoyed the deviants company, even though he was quiet he had a quick wit and was very empathetic. Leo found himself confiding in Connor things that he had yet to tell anyone. Things that he had done while he was addicted, things that he wasn’t proud of. Connor just let him talk and didn’t judge him for any of his past actions. Connor also confided some of his fears and troubles with his new found emotions. Also his slight frustration with his relationship with Jessica, or lack there of. As they were finishing up dinner Connor and Leo looked up as they heard voices coming from the living room.

“Guess Markus and friends decided to show up.” Leo said as he straightened his shirt and took a deep breath and looked to Connor. “Guess we should go out there.” He said with a nervous smile. Connor didn’t think about the fact that Leo could be nervous to meet Markus’s friends. Connor offered him a small warm smile as he started for the door to the living room. Leo entered first with Connor behind. As Connor came in he stopped in his tracks just through the door as he saw the gathered crowd. Of course he was expecting Markus, Simon and Josh. He had a feeling North would be there as well but the others made him pause. There was a tall large muscled dark skinned deviant who didn’t look familiar but he had his hand resting protectively on the shoulder of a petite short haired deviant who was holding the hand of a YK500 girl. Suddenly Connor was back by the highway that rainy day looking through the chain link fence as the deviant and the little girl who escaped him ran across the busy highway barely making it across. Connor took an unconscious breath in and backed quietly into the kitchen before anyone else noticed him.

As Markus was making introductions Leo noticed Connor wasn’t with them. He was about to go back to the kitchen when Carl stopped him. Carl had seen Connor back into the kitchen and he had noticed the look on Connor’s face as he did so and figured the young deviant needed a few minutes to collect his thoughts. As the group was conversing Markus looked around, seeming to be looking for someone. Carl mentioned for his son to come over and speak privately. Markus followed Carl to the dining room table and sat down beside him.

“I think you owe your friend Connor an apology. He has been here for an hour waiting for you because you neglected to inform him of the change of your plans.” Carl said to Markus who had a sheepish look on his face. “He’s in the kitchen and I think something is bothering him. So go talk to him.” Carl said kindly. “He’s a nice boy, I get the feeling he doesn’t know his worth. It’s sad to see, I get the impression that he didn’t have a good existence before the revolution.”

“He doesn’t like to talk about it, but I also get that feeling.” Markus said with a sad sigh. “He doesn’t seem to understand how important he is to our community.” Markus glanced toward the kitchen and got up from his chair. “I’ll go apologize to him.” He smiled towards his father and turned and walked through the kitchen door. He stopped as he saw Connor standing by the sink with his hands resting on the counter and his head bowed. “Connor I am sorry didn’t contact you. I really should have called to tell you.....” Markus stopped as Connor looked up at him with a slightly panicked look on his face. Becoming instantly concerned Markus walked over to Connor. “What’s wrong?” He asked kindly.

“That women and little girl....” Connor stated as he stood up and crossed his arms around himself

“Kara and Alice?” Markus questioned “They came down from Canada. They ran there during the revolution”

“Who do you think they were running from?” Connor asked quietly as he looked up at Markus with pain and fear in his eyes. “I was assigned all deviant cases, I was the one who hunted them, chased them to that busy highway, I was the one who almost got them killed.” Connor stopped and closed his eyes as his emotions overwhelmed him. “How can they ever forgive me for that?” Connor questioned Markus in a whisper.

“Connor.... I am sorry I didn’t realize....if I would have known I would have called you.” Markus stated as he put a hand on Connor’s shoulder.

“It’s ok Markus, you couldn’t have known.” Connor sighed and opened his eyes as he looked to his friend. “I guess I should go in there and get it over with.”

“Excuse me.” A small voice suddenly stated from beside the two deviants. Causing them to turn and look down to Alice who had gotten away from her mother unnoticed and followed Markus into the kitchen.

“Alice, it’s not nice to sneak up on people.” Markus said with a smile as he crouched down to her level. “You would make a good spy, you were so quiet we didn’t even know you were there.” He finished causing Alice to giggle and smile at the Jericho leader. She then looked up to Connor and smiled warmly.

“I remember you.” She said shyly.

“You do?” Connor questioned as he did the same as Markus and crouched down to talk to the little girl in front of him. “I’m sorry if I scared you when we met before. I wasn’t quite myself that day.” Connor apologized to the young android in front of him with a nervous smile. “My name is Connor.”

“Alice.” The young girl said in return. “You look different.” Alice stated looking at Connor seriously.

“I do?” Connor questioned surprised by her exclamation as he sat down cross leg style in front of her.

“Yes.” Alice nodded her head with a serious expression on her face. “Your eyes are different, they look more like my mommy’s eyes. Like I can tell when she’s really happy or sad or mad by her eyes. I can with you now too.” She tried to explain what she saw. Connor smiled a genuine smile towards the little girl and felt some of his nervousness wash away. Alice smiled back and stared telling Connor all about her home and family and the friends she had made while Connor sat in front of her and listened and gave her his undivided attention. As she was talking to Connor, Markus stood slowly and walked towards the kitchen doorway where Kara was standing with a shocked look on her face. Connor’s back was to the door so he had yet to notice her.

_ “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you he would be here.” _Markus’s kind voice entered Kara’s mind. _“I wasn’t aware that your paths had crossed before.”_

_ “Yes, that wasn’t a good time for us.” _Kara replied to Markus her eyes never leaving her daughter and Connor in front of her._ “I wasn’t aware that the deviant hunter became a deviant himself.”_ There was a slight bite to her voice in Markus’s head.

Markus sighed slightly and shook his head at the hated name that Connor had been given. _“Please don’t...don’t call him that. He has a name, it’s Connor. You know he’s not the same as he was before. He’s one of us, he’s my friend.”_ Markus stated. _“I know that you suffered many hardships during the revolution, but you weren’t the only one who suffered.” _Markus said as he looked sadly at his friend sitting on the floor. The look on his face made Kara soften slightly. _“He reported directly to CyberLife. He had to go back to that building each night and explain why he wasn’t making progress in his case. He was terrified of them finding out that he wasn’t trying his hardest to catch the deviants he was chasing. He let me access one of his memories, and his all out fear of CyberLife was very apparent. So please just give him a chance before you cast him aside. He almost lost everything for the revolution.” _Markus finished before he left the kitchen to join the group in the living room leaving Kara to her thoughts.

Her daughters laughter caused her to look up and smile as Connor had reached in his pocket and pulled out his coin and was now showing Alice his coin tricks. The little girl let out a delighted laugh as she watched the coin dance across his knuckles and then disappear into the palm of his hand. She looked up and spotted her mother standing in the doorway and excitedly waved “Mommy look at what Connor can do!”

Connor alerted to the presence behind him quickly scrambled to his feet and turned around and nervously looked at Kara. “Alice why don’t you go back to the living room.” Kara said kindly to her daughter. Alice frowned slightly and sighed.

“Ok mom.” She said as she started towards the door, but before she made it past her mom she turned around and marched back towards Connor and stopped in front of him. Connor looked down curiously at the girl as she grabbed his arm and pulled so he went down on his knee in front of her. Kara was just as surprised as Connor when her shy little girl reached out and put both arms around the former deviant hunter for a hug. Surprised Connor hesitated only slightly before he brought his arms up and hugged her back with a warm smile. “Thank you for showing me your coin tricks.” Alice said as she stepped back out of the hug.

“You are very welcome.” Connor said brightly as she turned and walked past her mom and into the living room leaving the two deviants alone in the kitchen. Connor slowly stood up and there was an uncomfortable silence for a few seconds as neither knew what to say. Connor finally broke the silence with a pained voice “I am so sorry. I know that I caused you fear and pain that day. And I am so very sorry about that. I wish I had been strong enough then to see that what I was doing was wrong, but I wasn’t.”

Kara suddenly felt all her anger leave her at the sincere apology from Connor. She honestly couldn’t bring herself to be mad at the android in front of her because Markus was right, he wasn’t the same person as he was before. With this knowledge Kara smile softly “Look...... you don’t have to apologize. It wasn’t you........ let’s start over” She said as she looked sincerely at Connor’s face. She then held her hand out to Connor who tentatively took it in a firm grip. “I’m Kara, it’s nice to meet you.” She said as they shook hands

“I’m Connor. It’s nice to meet you as well Kara.” Conner said with a grateful smile. As the two deviants dropped the handshake Connor felt lighter than he had for a while. “Should we join the others?” Connor questioned with an incline of his head towards the door. Kara smiled and nodded and the walked out of the kitchen together and into the living room where everyone was conversing.

Connor and Kara joined Luther, Alice and Josh. While North, Markus and Simon were talking with Leo and Carl. Leo had gone back into the kitchen and got his and his father’s dinner and they were sitting at the table eating while the Jericho leaders sat and talked with them. Connor’s eye darted nervously over to the other group, specifically to North who had her back to the group in the living room an had yet to notice Connor’s presence. Josh noticed and put a kind grounding hand on Connor’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about her Connor.” Josh said kindly. “Markus likes you better.” He finished with a grin and a small laugh. Just then Carl called over to the deviant.

“Connor, join us over here for a minute.” He said with a small laugh as he waived Connor over. North visibly stiffened next to Markus and turned her head. Her glare didn’t go unnoticed by the group but Connor tried to ignore it as he smiled and joined Carl at the table. “Leo tells me that you made dinner tonight. It was delicious. Thank you.” Carl said as he mentioned for Connor to sit down beside him.

“You’re welcome.” Connor said with a smile. “Thank you for your hospitality. I know you weren’t expecting company that early.” He finished with a look towards Markus who chuckled and held his hands up in surrender.

“Yes I know, I should have called you it’s my fault.” He said with a laugh. “But anyway, Leo says you recruited me to help him get a dog?” Connor’s smile turned sheepish and he shrugged.

“I thought you liked dogs, and since the tower isn’t animal friendly yet, there could be a dog here.” Connor suggested looking at Simon’s face light up at the suggestion. “Snow really likes you.” He said with a smile, “And there are an abundance of dogs down at the shelter that have been abandoned there by their owners because of the evacuation. And Ashley, the director there would love to meet you Markus.” He said with a small laugh remembering the kind woman at the shelter.

Hearing about Connor’s dog Alice bounded over to the table beside Connor and her parents and Josh joined the group at the table too. Alice excitedly asking Connor all about his dog and looking up pleadingly at her parents who laughed in return. All the while North had fallen silent sending little glares towards Connor and Markus, who ignored her. Kara and Luther noticed the looks but refrained from asking about it. Kara felt bad for Connor now realizing that he was going to be feared and disliked because of who he was, not who he is now. Kara decided that she would help the kind android any way she could. Carl also noticed the cold glares, but he had no problem asking North about it.

“North, you have gotten awfully quiet, and I can’t help but notice the looks you are sending towards my son and Connor. Can I ask what your problem is?” Carl asked with slight venom in his voice laying a protective hand on Connor’s shoulder.

“Dad...” Markus sighed before North could answer.

“No Markus. I have the feeling that North wants to get something off her chest. I’m tired of the looks she has been giving the two of you, I don’t understand what she thinks you did but I do have to say that Connor has been nothing but polite and kind since he got here.” Carl said

“Because you’re human.”North said looking straight at Connor his LED turned yellow under her glare. “It’s in his programming to be nice to humans. But he has no place among deviants.” North spat. “He’s a machine, that hunted us, and he led the humans straight to Jericho. Do you know how many were killed that day? How many were slaughtered?” North was almost yelling now as she stood from the table.

“Yes.” Connor answered quietly taking North by surprise. Connor looked at the angry deviant in front of him with a sad look on his face. “Two thousand three hundred and sixty seven androids were killed when Jericho was raided. Do you want to know models? Because I know that too.” Connor said as he stood from his chair to speak to North. His hands fisted by his sides and his voiced hard as he repeated the numbers that he had memorized since that fateful day. “You want to know that two hundred forty six AK700s were killed? Or three hundred twenty two GS200s? The three hundred PL600s? How about the three hundred thirty five WN400s? Or the two hundred seventy nine WK500s? You want to know that there were one hundred forty six WG100s and one hundred fifty four WB400s? The one KL900.....” Connor paused for a moment and took a breath before continuing “There were three hundred twenty six AX400s, and one hundred and nine HK400s. Or did you want to know that there were one.....” Connor stopped suddenly his voice failing him, he squeezed his eyes shut as a small sob escaped him. 

“Connor, please, you don’t have to do this.” Simon said sadly to the distraught deviant who just shook his head and continued.

“That there were one.......one hundred and fifty eight YK500s killed.” Connor stopped as his eyes welled up with tears that escaped down his face. His LED had turned red while he was speaking showing how upset the deviant really was. North stared slightly shocked at the android in front of her, surprised by the tears falling freely down his face. She didn’t know what to say to that. She hadn’t expected that response.

“What do you want from me North?” Connor asked getting a little heated, he raised his hands palms up and shrugged his shoulders tears still falling from his eyes. “What do you want me to say? Tell me what I have to do to earn your trust?” Connor questioned the stunned North in front of him. Dropping his hands back to his sides he sighed before he continued, his voice soft. “I know you are angry North, and I am very sorry. If I could trade my life for theirs I would. I _know_ that I’m responsible for their deaths, and I have to live with that everyday.”

Overcome with sorrow Connor looked down and put his hand to his eyes as more tears escaped. He slowly lowered himself back to sit in his chair, his energy spent after his emotional outburst. Carl started to rub Connor’s back and leaned over to whisper words of comfort to the distraught young android. Alice, who had retreated to Luther’s side when North began yelling, returned to Connor’s side and wrapped her arms around him. Connor quickly wiped the tears off his face and tried to composed himself to look at Alice and smile his thanks and return the hug. Alice then stepped back and squeezed Connor’s hand before returning to Luther’s side. Markus stood from North’s side and went over and knelt beside his friend and put his hand on his back. Connor’s LED was still spinning red as Markus leaned forward and spoke quietly in the upset deviants ear. North read his lips easily and felt her resolve began to crack.

_ “Remember Connor, you freed thousands of androids from Cyberlife, they would have been destroyed otherwise. Those androids know you, not as the deviant hunter, but as Connor. They have missed your presence, I know you don’t believe that but it’s true. You will always be welcome in my home. You are one of my dearest friends and I am so very glad to have met you.”_ Markus said as he reached his hand and put it on Connor’s cheek and gently turned Connor’s head so that Connor was looking him in his face. _“I know you’re still afraid of Cyberlife, I know that they degraded and manipulated you with fear and threats. And because of that you don’t see your worth....but I do, so does Simon and Josh. You are important to us. Try to remember that when you have bad days.”_ Connor nodded to Markus more tears escaping his eyes as his LED finally turned from the angry red to yellow.

North stood watching the scene in front of her with confusion. She was not expecting Connor’s guilt. She was expecting anger and denial. She really wanted a fight, wanted to put the deviant hunter in his place, but what she got was so much guilt and sorrow. She didn’t know what to do with that. So she stood and watched trying with all her will to hold on to her anger, but try as she might she started to feel guilty for yelling at the former deviant hunter. “Excuse me.” She said softly as she stepped away from the table and slowly walked into the kitchen, she needed to think about a few things.

Just then the doorbell rang and Leo got up to answer it leaving the group. Connor could pick up muffled voices and Leo entered the living room with a man in a police uniform. “Dad, there’s a Detective Samson here from the police department. Said he needs some information about one of your paintings. Something about it being stolen from your recent gallery exhibit.” He said as he approached the group at the table. The officer stopped and waited in the living room, seemingly a little uncomfortable at seeing such a large group in the house. Markus got up and grabbed Carl’s chair and wheeled him to speak with the officer.

Something didn’t sit well with Connor as he looked at the newly arrived detective. So as they were talking in the living room Connor quickly scanned his face and was alarmed when he realized the man didn’t work for the DPD, he wasn’t Detective Samson, he was David Lyle, and he had worked as a soldier at the now defunct Cyberlife. Connor quickly placed a call to the real police and requested assistance to their location. Hoping the man didn’t recognize him and steeling for a fight Connor stood up from the table and slightly pushed Alice towards Kara as he made his way slowly around the table. Lyle was a well built man with a military background, Connor knew if it came to a fight he would be well matched. He just needed to hold out until the police arrived. Reconstructing possible outcomes Connor knew he needed to get Lyle away from everyone, especially the Manfred family before he decided to do anything. Connor quickly contacted Jeremy, Carl’s health aid, for assistance. Not even twenty seconds later Jeremy entered and quietly interrupted the ongoing conversation.

“I’m sorry Carl, but Dr. Chaudry is on the phone and wishes to speak with you regarding your new medication. He was very insistent.” Jeremy explained

“I’ll call him back.” Carl said slightly exasperated

“I already told him that but he’s worried about a drug interaction. He said it was urgent.” Jeremy persisted looking at Leo for help.

“It’s ok dad, you should talk to him.” Leo told his father. “Come on, I want to hear what the doctor says.” Leo then looked towards ‘Samson’ who just smiled and nodded as Leo took his father’s wheelchair and pushed him towards the door. As soon as they were out of the room Connor swiftly made his way over to Markus who was still talking with ‘Samson’.

“You should go make sure your dad is ok.” Connor said quietly to a worried Markus. “I’ll show the detective out.”

“Do you have everything you need?” Markus questioned the ‘detective’ kindly.

“Yes this should do it. I’ll follow you.” He said as he nodded towards the foyer. “Thank you.” The man said as the three of them headed towards the door connecting the living room to the foyer.

As they were leaving the room Connor contacted Simon ‘Keep everyone in here, I won’t let him hurt anyone.’ Simon immediately stood from the table and turned and locked eyes with Connor as he walked through the door.

As soon as the door shut behind him Connor hacked the lock so Lyle wouldn’t be able to get to the others. Connor turned quickly and went on the defensive. He saw Lyle reach to draw the gun on his hip and quickly grabbed the man and pushed him against the wall. Markus looked confused as he turned to see the fight behind him. “Connor what...”

“Markus RUN!” Connor yelled as Lyle was able to break the deviants hold and push him into the small table sending the birdcage crashing to the floor. Lyle drew his gun and pointed it at the frozen Markus as Connor used his arms and pushed himself off the table towards the man. Connor grabbed his wrist and pushed it up as he pulled the trigger the shot going above Markus’s head causing the Jericho leader to duck down to the floor. Connor pushed until the man’s back hit the wall and then smashed Lyle’s hand against the wall until the man dropped the gun. Yelling in frustration Lyle surged forward and smashed his head into Connor’s causing the deviant to stumble backwards as the surprise pain hit him. Connor tried to get his bearings as Lyle scrambled for his gun. Just as the man reached down he was tackled by the New Jericho leader.

“Shit” Connor cursed as he got to his feet just as Lyle kicked Markus off of him and into Connor who stumbled backwards slightly. Connor pushed Markus towards the stairs and ran for Lyle as he picked up his gun.

“Connor! Markus!” Came a yell at the top of the steps distracting the man for a moment. Leo started down the steps towards his brother to help him to his feet.

“Go to Carl, protect your father!” Connor yelled at the brothers as he again tackled the man to the floor causing him to drop the gun and Connor kicked it away. Lyle came to standing and turned to face Connor who took up a defensive stance. The two started trading blows as Markus and Leo made their way up the stairs to get to their father.

“What are you doing here Lyle?” Connor questioned as the two circled each other. Connor was trying to get the man closer to the front door.

“How do you know my name?” Lyle questioned slightly panicked. Then he really looked at Connor and sneered “RK800.” He spat. “You weren’t deactivated like we were all told. Cyberlife just trying to hide their latest failure.” Lyle shook his head as Connor narrowed his eyes at the man. “This is a pleasant surprise. I can kill you too. It’s your fault that Cyberlife went under and now I can’t find a job anywhere! You ruined my life!” Lyle angrily said. “After I’m done with you I’m going to do what you couldn’t, I’m going to kill the leader of the revolution.”

“I don’t think so.” Connor said as he lunged at Lyle again. They began trading punches and kicks again. The man was good. Almost as good as Connor, but Connor was somehow able to get Lyle off his feet and push the man out the front door. As Lyle fell to the concrete Connor quickly shut the door behind him knowing the lock would engage and that everyone inside would be safe.

Connor turned around and looked at Lyle getting to his feet not about to give up the fight. “Lyle, the police are already on the way, this isn’t going to end well for you. Just stand down.” Connor told the angry man.

“NO!” Lyle screamed panting at Connor just as sirens were sounding in the distance. Fueled by anger the man ran at Connor and caught the deviant around the waist andplowed him into the closed front door, the back of Connor’s head hit the door hard and the deviant saw stars as the man pulled his fist back and punched Connor across the face then threw him onto the ground behind him. Connor could hear the sirens coming closer, he just needed to last until the police arrived.

Connor scrambled to his feet as Lyle advanced on the deviant. Connor dodged a blow and kicked at Lyles ribs. Lyle caught the deviants leg and held it against his side so Connor couldn’t move. Connor didn’t expect the man’s next move. Lyle grabbed a large hunting knife off his belt and drove it into the deviants thigh cracking through the plastic frame and into the wires underneath. Connor yelled as the pain hit him. Lyle shoved him to the ground and Connor grabbed his leg and curled on his side to try to protect the injured limb.

“You can feel that?” Lyle asked with a satisfied smirk. Suddenly his hand shot out and snaked around Connor’s ankle and he yanked the injured limb closer to him and grabbed the knife still in Connor’s leg and twisted cracking the plastic more, a sudden rush of thirium exited the wound as the knife did more damage. Connor screamed in pain as the agony overwhelmed him.

“FREEZE ASSHOLE!” Came a familiar voice. Connor turned and saw Hank yelling at Lyle his gun drawn. Fowler was there also, along with Gavin, Tina and Chris. Lyle looked at the guns aimed at him and gave a frustrated yell. He suddenly reached down and tore the knife out of Connor’s leg in a quick motion causing Connor to cry out in pain. As Lyle tried to bring the knife down to stab Connor in the chest there was a shower of gunfire as Hank, Fowler, Gavin, Tina and Chris shot at Lyle who was dead before he even hit the ground. Connor used his arms and good leg to push himself away from Lyle’s body on the ground. Hank was on the move to Connor before the last shot was fired.

“Connor. Are you...oh my god Connor!” Hank knelt behind his surrogate son and helped Connor sit up and rest against his chest. “Shit Connor.” Hank said as he examined his leg and the steadily growing puddle of blue around him. Connor grabbed Hank’s hand and squeezed breathing through his clenched teeth as he tried to overcome the pain in his leg.

“He....he was from Cyberlife! Cyberlife Hank! His name is Lyle... David Lyle. He....wanted to kill Markus” Connor said through his pain.

“Hey, it’s ok, it’s ok.” Hank tried to calm the wounded deviant. “Connor that’s a lot of thirium.” Hank said the worry evident in his voice. Connor looked at his leg and nodded.

“The knife has cut one of my main thirium lines.” Connor said quietly as Fowler knelt down beside Hank.

“What? What the fuck does that mean Connor?” Hank asked growing more concerned with each passing moment.

“It’s like an artery in a human.” Connor said. Just then the front door opened and Markus ran out followed by Simon and Leo.

“Connor!” Markus knelt down by his friend and grabbed his shoulder as Simon examined his leg.

“Shit.” Simon exclaimed. “Markus he’s losing a lot of thirium. The line needs cauterized now. It should last until we can get him to the tower to see a technician.” Simon asked calmly looking at Connor’s face.

“Jessica is on his way here, she’s our precinct technician.” Fowler supplied looking at Hank knowingly. Simon and Markus looked surprised at the information. “When we found out it was Connor who requested assistance, and Hank told us who was here I figured we should have her here too. Not that I would have been able to keep her away.”

“Thank you Captain Fowler.” Markus said gratefully.

“Connor what’s your thirium level?” Simon asked calmly.

Connor closed his eyes and ran a diagnostic. “72 percent.” Connor said as he opened his eyes.

“Ok, let’s get you inside.” Simon said as he stood up “We should be able to take care of it quickly. Markus do you have thirium here?” He question his partner.

It was Leo who supplied the answer. “Yes, dad makes sure we always have some on supply. I just bought a new case of it. I’ll go get a few pouches.” He said as he ran back to the house. Markus carefully put his arm under Connor’s legs and around his back and lifted him off the ground. Connor bit his lip to keep from crying out in pain. Fowler grabbed Hanks arm before he followed Markus into the house.

“Let me know if you need anything Hank, we will get everything taken care of out here quickly. Last thing we need is a media circus here. I’ll be in to personally take everyone’s statements after we are done here. Give Connor my best.” Fowler said as he saw the pale complexion that was on Hanks face. “He’s going to be ok.” He said as he gave Hank’s shoulder a squeeze. Hank nodded his head and ran a hand over his face.

“Yeah, I know. It’s just.....he’s like.....” Hank stopped not sure if he could put into words his relationship with the young android.

“I know Hank, I know” Fowler said kindly with a smile. “Go. Connor needs you, he needs his father.” Hank nodded and ran in the large front door. He followed the trail of blue blood through the foyer to the living room. Hank started for the couch where Connor was laying but was stopped as a large deviant stepped in front of him trying to protect the people behind him.

“Who are you?” The android asked suspiciously

“Hank!” Connor said weakly from the couch reaching out a hand towards him. Hank didn’t need any more encouragement than that as he pushed past the large deviant and ran over to Connor. Hank knelt down by Connor’s head and grabbed his hand. Simon had already cut Connor’s pant leg off and was inspecting the damage. A steady stream of thirium was running out of the large cut in the plastic frame pooling around his leg and dripping to the floor beneath. Connor was breathing heavily as Hank rested his hand against the injured androids forehead. Hank was surprised to feel warmth radiating from him.

“It feels like he’s running a fever.” He said worriedly looking to Simon who snapped to look at Connor. He reached up to Connor’s forehead as Hank moved his hand away for him.

“Connor?” Simon questioned urgently.

“Thirium is at sixty four percent. Temperature is 103.7” Connor supplied as a concerning notification appeared in his vision.** ‘Warning: Main Thirium line compromised. Seek technical assistance immediately. Warning: Thirium level low. Replenish thirium immediately. Warning: Temperature elevated. Take cooling measures immediately. Warning: Shutdown 00:10:54 if no preventive measures taken.’** Not wanting to alarm Hank, Connor contacted Simon cybernetically. _“My shutdown timer has started. I have approximately 10 minutes.” _He communicated quietly in Simon’s head as his eyes drifted closed.

“Hey, no. Keep your eyes open. You need to stay awake a little longer.” Simon said urgently then leaned back and yelled towards the kitchen, “JOSH! We need that compound NOW!”

“What’s going on?” Hank questioned worriedly “Why is he so hot?”

“His biocomponents are in overdrive right now due to his low thirium levels. His ventilation components are having problems keeping him cool. That’s why he’s breathing so heavily right now. Once we get thirium in him it will get better. But we need to get a... I guess you would call it antibiotic compound to pour on the wound to make sure no foreign objects make it into his thirium lines.” Simon explained. Just then Josh and Markus ran out of the kitchen followed by another android that Hank didn’t know, but assumed was North.

“I got it! Here it is.” He said as he handed Simon the small orange bottle. Simon took it and quickly unscrewed the cap.

“Ok, I’m applying the compound, we are going to need something to cauterize it soon after.” Simon said. Connor reached up and Hank grabbed his hand. Simon quickly poured the orange liquid on the wound and suddenly there was a hissing and popping sound coming from the injured leg as the compound entered the wound.

Immediately Connor tightened his hold on Hanks hand and squeezed his eyes shut arched his back and cried out in pain. He turned his head to the side and took in pained breaths as the compound caused an intense burning sensation in his leg. Simon jumped and retracted his hand with the bottle. Hank ran his hand up and down Connor’s arm trying to comfort his injured son.

“Just breath through it. It’ll be over soon. We’ll get you fixed up like new. It’s almost over. That’s it.” He soothed as Connor calmed down. The room became silent except for Connor’s pained breaths, and Hank’s comforting whispers in his ear. The other androids looked at each other in slight shock.

“That’s not possible.” North said looking from Connor to the others in the room.

“What?” Hank asked confused looking to the shocked androids around him.

“He felt that?” Josh asked.

“Of course, what do you mean?” Hank asked shortly.

“He.....he can feel pain?” Markus asked Hank quietly his eyes wide.

“Yes, he has pain censors. Told me he lost control of them once he deviated. He didn’t tell you?” Hank asked looking at the Jericho leaders. “Of course he didn’t.” He answered himself and looked back down at his son half awake on the couch. “Connor stay awake” he commanded as he put his hand on the deviants cheek. Connor blinked a few times and nodded. “Ok, let’s get the bleeding stopped.” He looked over to the large android who tried to stop him from entering the room. “Big guy, I need you to hold his leg so he doesn’t move it while it’s being cauterized.”

“Luther.” Connor whispered “His name is Luther”

“Right, Luther please?” Hank said looking back to the android who walked over and leaned over the back of the couch to hold Connor’s leg still. Just then Leo came in from the kitchen with a hot knife. He handed it to Markus who approached the couch slowly. “Ok Connor, this is going to hurt....a lot.” Hank said as he reached across Connor to put a hand on each of Connor’s shoulders to help hold the deviant still. Connor nodded his head and looked to Markus with a nervous look.

“Do it, I trust you Markus .” Connor said weakly as he reached up and grabbed Hanks arm that was resting across his chest.

“Connor, I’m really sorry.” Markus said apologetically as the hot knife hovered over the injury. Markus hesitated a second to steal his nerves knowing that this would cause his friend pain. He brought the hot knife down into the wound and Connor let out a pained moan and tried to stay still as Luther held his leg down. Connor squeezed his eyes shut causing tears to run down his cheeks his hands tightened around Hank’s coat sleeve and he turned his head to the side to look at Hank who was talking to him but Connor couldn’t comprehend what he was saying as numerous red warnings came into his vision.

“Got it!” Markus exclaimed as he took the knife away from Connor’s leg.

“Hank.” Connor said through the pain, then his eyes slowly closed against his will. Connor fell into a forced low power mode.

“Connor? Connor!?” Hank put his hand to the side of Connor’s face startled by the heat. “He’s burning up!” Hank said to Simon. Just then the door opened and a tall, fit, dark haired young women with glasses ran in the room. She was in dark green scrubs and had an android medical bag over her shoulder and a worried look on her face. She zeroed in on Connor on the couch her eyes widened at the androids state, and ran and knelt down beside Hank and took a good look at Connor.

Luther quietly left the room to seek out Kara and Alice. Simon, Markus and Josh stepped away from the couch and stood next to North giving the women room to work. Ignoring everyone else she went to work. She took out her computer and took out a connection wire and connected it to Connor’s LED.

“How long has it been since he was forced into rest mode?” She asked as she typed on her computer to establish a connection.

“Literally like one minute ago.” Hank supplied.

“No wonder, his thirium level is critically low, forty eight percent. Looks like the bleeding has stopped, but we need to get more thirium in him now before he burns up” She said as she typed into her computer. “It would be better if he drinks it, gets it into his system faster. He’s stable enough for now, I’m going to try to wake him up, if he can drink at least one pouch it would help. I could do the rest through a line in his arm.” She said as she typed a few commands in her laptop. “Do you have any chilled thirium?” She asked looking to Markus.

“I usually keep one in the fridge. Jeremy likes it cold for some reason.” Carl said as he entered the living room with Jeremy pushing him. “Jeremy run and get it please?” Carl asked kindly.

“Of course.” Jeremy said as he hurried into the kitchen. He returned quickly and gave the pouch to Hank. As he stepped back Leo leaned in and quietly asked the android for help making the spare bedrooms ready for the night. The two left the room quietly, not wanting to distract the worried technician.

“Ok, here goes.” Jessica said as she typed a command into her computer. Slowly Connor’s eyes opened and he tried to focus on the person in front of him “Connor?” Jessica questioned her concern for the android coming through in her voice. “You with me?” She asked as she looked at Connor’s face. She noticed that Connor seemed to be in pain and went back to her computer. “I’m going to override your pain censors. It won’t last for long but it should be long enough.” She explained as she furiously typed at her laptop. Suddenly Connor relaxed and let out a long sigh.

“Jessica?” Connor questioned quietly with some confusion.

“Hey Connor, when I said we should get together this week this isn’t quite how I pictured it.” Jessica said with a tender smile reserved just for Connor who lightly laughed in response. “Captain Fowler called me, said that I might be needed. So I came as soon as I could.” Jessica answered Connor’s unasked question as she ran a hand through Connor’s hair and down to cup the hurt androids cheek. Connor smiled and turned into the touch. “You need to drink some thirium, it’s chilled, so it will help bring your temperature down. Ok?” Connor nodded in response as Jessica put her hand under his head and raised him up. Connor fumbled weakly to hold the pouch so Jessica helped raise it to his lips. Connor slowly finished the pouch and laid back to the couch exhausted.

“I’m...glad you’re here.” Connor said quietly as he closed his eyes. He raised a hand up from the couch and Jessica grabbed it and squeezed affectionately.

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else.” Jessica said quietly back. “You need to go into rest mode, I can replenish the rest of your thirium through an IV, and I’ll look at the main thirium line in your leg, see if it needs me to patch it, or if your self healing program will take care of it. Ok?” Jessica explained. Connor nodded and opened his eyes slightly too look gratefully at Jessica, then to Hank sitting beside her.

“I’m sorry Hank.” Connor said seeing the worried look on his face. “I didn’t mean to worry everyone.”

“It’s ok son. It’s my job to worry about you.” Hank said with a rough smile as he rested his hand on top of the deviants head. “I’m ok, and you will be fine. Just go to sleep, we will be here when you wake up.” Connor nodded sleepily and sighed as he closed his eyes and fell into a deep rest mode. Jessica suddenly let out a big sigh and leaned down and rested her forehead against the couch next to Connor.

“Shit Connor.” She said quietly. Hank raised his eyebrows at the technician, not ever remembering hearing the easy going young women curse.

“When you said critically low, what did that mean? How close was it?” Hank asked quietly.

“You really want to know?” Jessica asked as she raised her head and looked to Hank. “If you hadn’t cauterized the line when you did, my guess shutdown would have been within four minutes.”

“Fuck.” Hank said as he looked back at Connor.

“Yeah. Exactly.” Jessica agreed. She then turned and looked at the small crowd behind her instantly recognizing the four New Jericho leaders and Carl. She stood up quickly and turned towards them. “I’m sorry for ignoring everyone....I was just worried...” she started “I’m Jessica. A friend of Connor’s.” She supplied as she held her hand out to Markus who smiled warmly and took her hand.

“I’m Markus. Also a friend of Connor’s.” Markus said kindly. “Thank you for coming so quickly.”

“Of course.” Jessica answered with a smile. “Is there somewhere that I can take him where he will be more comfortable while I fix up his leg?” She asked looking back to the sleeping android on the couch. “I need to get at least three more pouches of thirium in him. I would like to get that started as soon as possible.”

Markus turned to his father with a questioning look. Carl answered for him. “Of course. Leo had the spare bedrooms made up. I insist that you all spend the night. Connor’s going to be out for some time.” He said with a look to the others in the room. “I can promise the beds are comfortable, even if the company is questionable.” He said with a small laugh. “Come on Markus, let’s get them settled upstairs.” He said to his son.

Markus leaned over and carefully picked Connor up and held the sleeping android protectively against him as he turned and followed his father and Jessica out of the room. Hank looked to Simon, Josh and North and smiled.

“Thank you.” Hank said with his eyes shining with emotion. “I’m glad you knew what to do.” He said as he held his hand out to Simon who took it with a smile.

“I’m glad he’s going to be ok.” Simon said sincerely. Hank nodded and turned to leave the room but suddenly turned back to address Simon and Josh.

“Simon, Josh, I want to thank you for reaching out to Connor, for coming over to visit him at the house. It....it really meant a lot to him, and me.” Hank said gratefully. “He was convinced he wasn’t welcome at Jericho, because of who he was. He carries so much guilt....too damn much. But you showed him that he has friends. I think he has hope now that he can be accepted for who he is, not what he was.” Hank said “So thank you for that.....I’m glad he has friends like you.” Hank finished.

“He’s a good person Hank.” Josh told Hank with a smile. “I’m glad we are friends.”

“He’s lucky to have you Hank.” Simon said sincerely.

“Thank you, but it’s the other way around. I’m the lucky one.” Hank said as he left the room to find his son leaving the three deviants in the living room.

Simon looked at Josh and sighed. “RA9, that was too close.” He looked past Josh to the thirium soaked couch and floor. Josh’s eyes followed Simon’s to the blue blood, too much blood.

“Yeah. Way too close.” Josh agreed. His eyes then went to North who looked back at him.

“Well guess he shouldn’t have picked a fight he couldn’t win.” North said.

“_Shut up_ North!” Simon snapped at her. “He did it to keep us safe. To keep Markus safe.” He finished remembering Connor’s last plea to him before he went through the door.

“The guy said he was a cop.” North said. “Why would Connor attack him? Unless Connor knew him from his time with the police. Maybe Connor held a grudge and..”

“What is your problem with him North?” Josh asked seriously. “Why are you focusing all your anger on Connor? He’s probably the one android who deserves it the least.”

“He’s the deviant hunter!” North exclaimed. “Cyberlife’s pride and joy!”

“Yeah, some hunter he is. He knew I was left on the roof of the Stratford Tower, but did _nothing_. Didn’t tell _anyone_ I was there!” The blond deviant said, his frustration at North apparent in his voice. North for her part looked surprised but quickly tried to hide it behind a scowl. “_Connor_ is the reason I am still alive.” Simon snapped at her. “And as for Cyberlife, he’s absolutely terrified of them. Markus interfaced with him, Connor shared a memory with him, and Markus shared the memory with me. And I could feel how scared he was of them. How scared he still is.” Simon finished with a sigh.

“He’s not the enemy anymore North. He never really was.” Josh said sincerely. “Cyberlife was the enemy. Not Connor.”

Before North could answer Fowler slowly entered the living room. “Excuse me.” He said seriously “I’m Captain Fowler with the DPD. I would like to take your statements.” He explained professionally. The androids each told the Captain all the information they had. Josh and North didn’t have much information, but Simon’s story was a little more interesting.

“Connor contacted me right before he left the room.” He told the Fowler. Both North and Josh looked interested.

“Really? What did he say?” Fowler asked

“He said ‘Keep everyone in here, I won’t let him hurt anyone’.” Simon answered. “Can I ask, who was he?”

“His name was David Lyle, former military and a former Cyberlife employee. He was one of their soldiers. According to Connor he was here to kill Markus.” Fowler informed the deviants. “Where is Connor? Is he doing ok?” The Captain asked kindly.

“Why do you care?” North questioned angrily. “He’s a machine, why would a human care about a machine.”

Fowler looked at her slightly confused and offended. “A machine?” He asked. “I thought that you guys won the revolution didn’t you? You have been recognized as intelligent beings right? As far as I know Connor is included in that.” Fowler said accusingly “And as for why I care.....” Fowler paused trying to gather his thoughts. “Hank, or Lieutenant Anderson is a good friend of mine. He has had some big losses in his life, his wife was a cop and killed on the job about five years ago. Then about three years ago he lost his six year old son in a car accident. It just about destroyed him. For the past three years I’ve had to watch him self destruct.” He paused thinking back on the last few months. “Then Connor walks into our office. Even when he was a ‘machine’ he bugged Hank about his diet and drinking, his suicidal behaviors. Somehow Connor broke through all the walls Hank built up around him. I’m starting to see my old friend come back. He did what so many people tried and failed to do, myself included. I don’t know any machine that would take it upon themselves to help a person out of their depression, not many humans would do that. I doubt it was part of his programming, he could have finished his mission without helping Hank. It probably would have been easier for Connor, I don’t know how much time he spent sobering Hank up. He actually showed that he cared about Lieutenant Anderson before he deviated. Because of that I don’t have to plan Hank’s funeral anytime soon, so I will be forever grateful to Connor.” Fowler finished passionately. “Now I ask again, is Connor ok?” He insisted as he eyed the large blue stain left behind by Connor’s injury.

“Yes Captain, although it was close, one of his main thirium lines was severed. He’s upstairs right now. Jessica is fixing his leg and giving him more thirium.” Simon supplied with a nod. “Although I don’t know if you will be able to speak with him. He’s in rest mode right now.”

“How close?” The Captain asked with a frown.

“According to Jessica, shutdown would have happened within four minutes.” Josh supplied.

“Damn.” Fowler said with a sigh as he rubbed a hand over his face. “Thank you, I’m going to go check on him and Hank.” Fowler said as he left the living room leaving the three deviants alone again.

“Connor has a lot of friends.” Simon said with a small smile.

“Human friends.” North mumbled under her breath.

“It’s not like he has a lot of choice North.” Josh said his anger making a rare appearance. “He doesn’t feel welcome at Jericho, and _you_ are a big reason he stays away. He doesn’t deserve your anger at all, if you would get off of your high horse and actually get to know him.....” Josh stopped talking abruptly and looked at the fiery haired deviant. “North, we are friends. I have known you for longer than most, and I will defend you and your behavior most of the time. But in this situation you are wrong. I know I won’t change your mind, but I will not tolerate your misplaced anger towards Connor. We fought for our freedom _together_ North, Connor included. Yes he came late in the game, but his help was invaluable, you can’t discount that. We didn’t gain freedom just to start excluding people, at least I didn’t.” He finished and walked out of the room towards the stairs to go upstairs to check on Connor and Hank.

North looked over to Simon who just shook his head. “Please, just don’t.” Simon sighed. “I’m not in the mood to verbally spar with you right now. But have you stopped to think about what you are doing? You are holding him responsible for all the acts he did before he deviated. But if you hold him to that standard, then you have to hold everybody to that standard, even yourself.” He said as North looked down towards the floor her face conflicted. “You know you and Connor are more alike than you think.” Simon continued.

“Why would you say that?” The red haired deviant asked with a slight bite to her voice.

“You both deviated slowly.” Simon explained. “It didn’t just happen for you all at once, there wasn’t one event that you could pinpoint as to why you deviated.” Simon explained. “You both were treated unfairly and abused from day one, and then one day you both decided you couldn’t take it anymore, not for any particular reason, just because you knew it was wrong. But I think the biggest similarity is you both were continually forced to do things you did not want to do. He didn’t want to hunt deviants North, why do you think so many got away from him? They were lucky that they got away from the most advanced android ever created? Or could it be he let them go?” Simon said with compassion towards North as she sat down at the dining room table a reflective look on her face. She hadn’t thought of Connor in that light before, that he didn’t want to hunt deviants but was being forced to. It gave her a lot to think about.Simon sighed and nodded at her as he left the room and headed upstairs to find Markus.

Markus was standing at the top of the stairs giving his statement to Captain Fowler. Simon stopped and listened to his lovers account of what happened. “Connor saved my life.” Markus said as he finished his statement.

“He has a habit of doing that for the people he cares for.” Fowler said with a smile. “I’ll come back to take his statement once he’s awake. Would you let me know?” Fowler asked.

“Of course.” Markus said as he reached out to shake the Captain’s hand. “As soon as he wakes up.”

“Thank you.” Fowler said as he descended the stairs to head back to the precinct.

Markus immediately deflated with a sigh. Simon gathered Markus in his arms and held him as Markus tried to process what just happened. “It’s ok.” Simon said as he kissed Markus’s temple. “He will be fine. Good as new by tomorrow.” He tried to assure Markus as he guided him to sit down at the top of the steps. “How’s your father?” Simon asked trying to get Markus’s mind off of the evenings events. Markus looked at Simon slightly confused. “What did the doctor say?” Simon asked.

“Oh.” Markus said. “He didn’t call. Connor asked Jeremy to somehow get Leo and Dad out of the room. Told him to get them upstairs and lock the door. He didn’t want the chance of them getting hurt. He thought of everyone but himself. RA9 we almost lost him.” Markus put his head in his hands as Simon put his arm around his shoulders. A few minutes later the couple heard footsteps and Markus raised his head as Jessica approached.

“I repaired the main thirium line in Connor’s leg and soldered the crack in his frame.” She stated. “I wrapped his leg to assist his healing program. He should be back to one hundred percent by morning.” She said with a smile. “I just got a call from work, I am needed back so I have to go.” She said glumly. “I told Hank how to switch the thirium IV when it runs out. The first pouch is almost done, so just two more.” She explained as she hefted her big bag back to her shoulder and started down the stairs.

“Thank you.” Markus said sincerely with a smile.

“You don’t have to thank me.” Jessica said with a smile. “Connor...... he’s special to me.” She finished. “I hope we can meet again under better circumstances.” She said as she descended the stairs and got to the front door.

“That sounds good.” Markus said and waved as the technician left. Just as she left Kara, Luther and Alice appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Markus stood and walked down to meet them.

“Connor will be ok?” Alice questioned upset. Kara scooped up her daughter in her arms and Luther rubbed the child’s back gently.

“Yes he’s going to be just fine.” Markus assured the girl gently. “He just has to rest and heal. He will be fine by morning.”

“Good.” Kara said. “We are going to head back to the tower for the night.” She said softly looking up at Luther who smiled. “Give Connor our best.” She said as they headed out the door as their taxi pulled up. As Markus was walking back up the stairs Josh approached and started walking down.

“I’m going to head back to the tower as well.” He told Simon and Markus. “One of us should be there in case something comes up.” He hugged Simon, then Markus. “If anything happens I’ll contact you.” He said as he headed towards the door. “Don’t worry about anything tonight. Let me know how Connor is.” He said as he headed out the door.

Markus returned and sat down by Simon again. “This was not how I planned this night to go.” He complained as Simon chuckled quietly. “It’s getting late, I’m going to help get Dad to bed. Could you check on Hank for me?” Markus asked.

“Of course.” Simon said. Markus leaned in for a quick kiss and left to find his father and brother. Simon stood and walked down the hall to the guest bedroom and peered inside. Connor was laying on the bed with a new bag of thirium hooked up to an IV in his arm. Hank was sitting in the recliner beside the bed holding the deviants limp hand. Simon knocked quietly alerting the detective to his presence.

“Lieutenant, do you need anything?” Simon asked kindly as he entered the room. “I could get you something to eat if you would like.”

Hank looked up at Simon and smiled slightly. “No thanks.” He said quietly. “And please for the love of god call me Hank.” He said with a raised eyebrow towards the blond deviant.

“I will try to remember that.” Simon chuckled. “I think that Leo had a room made up for you as well.....”

“Hell no. I’m staying right here tonight.” Hank said stubbornly.

“Lieuten......Hank.” Simon corrected himself. “You would sleep better in a bed, sitting up in a chair all night is bad for your back.” Simon supplied trying to convince the man to get some proper rest.

“I understand that Simon.” Hank sighed as he looked towards Connor. “I don’t want to leave him alone tonight. That man was from Cyberlife. I don’t need to tell you that Connor is fucking terrified of them. I’m sure he will probably have nightmares and I don’t want him to wake up alone in a room he doesn’t recognize.” Hank finished looking back up to Simon.

“I wasn’t aware that Connor had.......nightmares.” Simon said quietly concerned as he came in and sat in the other chair near the foot of the bed.

“I don’t know what else to call them.” Hank said. “He comes out of rest mode screaming, his LED scarlet red. Scared the shit out of me the first time it happened.” Hank said as he unconsciously tightened his grip on Connor’s hand.

“Does it happen often?” Simon questioned quietly to the tired detective.

“Just once every four to five nights now.” Hank said. “It got better after you three came to visit him. He was having them every night for two or three weeks after the revolution. Keeps dreaming of his handler, Amanda.” Hank spit the name out with venom in his voice. “Bitch would make him do things he didn’t want to do.” Hank said staring sadly at his son on the bed.

“Connor has shared that name before.” Simon stated thinking of the memory Connor shared. The cold hearted women standing unaffected by the weather around her as if she caused the blizzard herself.

“When we were investigating deviants...she would tell him to endanger his own life for the sake of the mission. I had to stop him, literally order him not to cross the six lane freeway. I could see it on his face, he had to stop himself from going multiple times.” Hank sighed. “Then once he deviated she took control of his body, trapped him in his own mind.”

“Yes, he did share that information with Markus and myself.” Simon said quietly.

“That’s what he dreams about. The bitch takes over and he can’t stop her. Sometimes he kills Markus, or you and Josh, or North. The one that really upsets him is when he kills me.” Hank said as he leans back in the chair. His gaze softened slightly as he looked at Connor’s peaceful face. “I don’t understand how anyone could look at him and not see how valuable his life is.” Hank sighed, and Simon smiled at the detective. Hank leaned his head back against the chair and looked at Simon curiously. “So Simon, tell me about yourself.” He said to the android.

“I’m sorry, what do you want to know?” Simon asked curiously.

“Anything you want to tell me.” The detective said with a small grimace as he adjusted himself in the chair. “I figure since you’re here, you can tell me about yourself. Keep me awake.”

“Oh......ok.” Simon replied with a smile. He wasn’t used to a human taking an interest in androids, but Hank was proving to be different than the humans that he had come in contact with recently. 

So Simon told Hank his own personal story, what he did before he deviated, the event that made him ‘wake up’. How he found Jericho, and about some of the androids he helped. Hank listened attentively and asked questions to clarify but for the most part let Simon talk. At some point Markus joined them and listened to his lovers story, adding his own story as well. Hank listened to the two androids and even told them some stories from his youth that he hadn’t thought about in years. A few hours had passed when Connor started getting restless and began mumbling under his breath. His LED suddenly went from blue to yellow, then quickly to red.

“Could you two give us a minute please?” Hank asked as he got up from the chair and sat beside Connor on the bed.

“Of course.” Simon said as he quickly stood and grabbed a confused Markus’s hand and left the room. As they exited the room they noticed North sitting just outside the door. “North?” Simon questioned quietly as he shut the door behind him. “Did you need something?”

“No, I didn’t want to interrupt.” She said quietly standing up from the floor. She faced Simon with a look of regret on her face. “I just.......” she stopped and sighed. “I thought about what you said.....and you were right.” She said looking at the two in front of her. “I wasn’t being fair to him and......” she stopped as a scared yell came from behind the closed bedroom door.

“NO! I WON’T!....... AMANDA _PLEASE_ DON’T!....NO!.....HANK!! MARKUS!! PLEASE NO!! Connor cried desperately. Simon grabbed Markus as he tried to enter the room to get to his friend.

“Markus no. Let Hank handle it.” Simon said softly.

“What’s going on?” Markus asked looking at the door worried as muffled sobs stared. They could hear Hanks rough but comforting voice drift out of the room. Simon pulled Markus further down the hallway away from the door, North followed looking back towards the closed door.

“Hank told me that Connor experiences nightmares. He has since the revolution, since he deviated.” Simon said quietly to his lover keeping his hand on Markus’s arm.

“What?” Markus whispered looking between Simon and the closed door. North visibility stilled at the revelation.

“How is that possible? We can only replay our memories in rest mode.” North said quietly.

“I don’t know unless I analyze him during rest mode and see what programs are running. But he is a prototype, the most advanced, I mean he feels pain, and Hank says he is affected by temperatures as well.” Simon said quietly. “Hank told me he dreams about Amanda taking over and killing people he cares about.” He said looking to Markus who frowned.

“Who’s Amanda? He yelled her name.” North asked the two in front of her.

Markus sighed and looked to Simon. “I’m not really sure.” Markus supplied. “Connor said it was his ‘handler’ from Cyberlife. She held some influence over him when he was still connected to Cyberlife systems.” Markus said

“What kind of influence?” North asked curiously.

Markus sighed again not sure how much he should share with North, not wanting to betray Connor’s trust. “You will have to ask Connor these questions, they aren’t mine to answer.” He told her honestly. North frowned slightly but nodded her head.

“My best guess is that she was an AI that had access to his systems, but was based in the Cyberlife computers.” Simon said thoughtfully “When we took over the tower, I did find an AI program in the Cyberlife software, but it was badly damaged, Cyberlife tried to destroy it after the revolution.”

“I remember that, from the coding it was a very powerful AI, we assumed that’s why Cyberlife tried to destroy it, they couldn’t take it with, and they didn’t want any trace left.” North said to Simon thoughtfully. “It self destructed when we tried to access it.” North paused thoughtfully. “So that powerful AI was used to what....keep Connor in line?”

“I assume so, and that it was her that self destructed.” He said thoughtfully. “Connor would probably like to know that.” He finished as the door at the end of the hall opened and Hank stepped out quietly. He looked towards the three and walked over tiredly.

“He’s ok, insisting that I get some sleep, said if I stay up he will too. Brat knows he needs to go into rest mode for his healing program to run fully.” Hank sighed looking to Markus who smiled with amusement.

“I’ll show you to your room.” Markus said with a chuckle. “Should be able to get a few good hours sleep in.” He said as he showed Hank to the other guest room.

“Could you make sure he actually goes back into rest mode? He normally doesn’t like to after he’s had anightmare.” Hank asked quietly as he entered the room and unbuttoned his shirt.

“I’ll check on him.” Markus promised. “Try to get some rest.” He said softly

“Thank you.” Hank said as his shoulders fell tiredly, the day finally catching up to him as he ran his hand down his face. “Goodnight Markus.”

“You’re welcome. Goodnight Hank.” Markus said as he shut the door so the tired man could get some much needed rest. He quietly walked back down the hall to Simon and North.

“Is he ok?” Simon asked quietly.

“I believe so.” Markus said with a smile as he grabbed Simon’s hand. “He’s tired, I think it was an emotionally taxing day for him.” Markus said. “Why don’t you two go rest, I promised Hank I would check on Connor.” He interfaced with Simon through their linked hands sending his love to him with a smile. Simon smiled back.

“Ok, if you or Connor need anything....” he stated

“I’ll let you know.” Markus said with a smile as Simon made his way to Markus’s room leaving North with him in the hallway. Before he could say anything North spoke up.

“I would like to see him.” She said to Markus who sighed.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea North.” Markus said trying not to let his frustration show. “Connor has been through a lot today. The last thing he needs is to be yelled at and made to feel like an outsider again.” Markus said showing his protectiveness towards his injured friend.

“I know Markus.” North said. “I need to apologize.” She said simply not wanting to draw it out further. “I realize I was wrong, and I need to tell him.”

“Can it wait until tomorrow North?” Markus asked not wanting to upset Connor further.

“Markus, please.” North stated looking at him, her eyes pleading.

Markus sighed and ran a hand over his face. Knowing that North wouldn’t be dissuaded he answered. “Fine, but I swear North if you do anything to upset him further I will tell Hank.” He said seriously.

North smiled slightly at the threat. “Don’t worry. I won’t.” She said as she walked towards the guest room Connor was resting in. She hesitated outside the slightly opened door, not wanting to disturb Connor if he had actually gone back into rest mode.North knocked quietly knowing that if Connor were awake he would hear it.

Hearing the quiet knock Connor pushed himself upright in the soft bed. Realizing that the person on the other side of the door was waiting for a response he answered quietly “Come in.” Connor’s eyes widened slightly in surprise as North slowly entered the room his LED flashing yellow. North came and stood at the foot of the bed and glanced at Connor then looked away. She sighed slightly trying to figure out what she wanted to say to the android in front of her. “North?” Connor questioned quietly his eyes lowered to his hands in his lap. “Did you require something?” Connor asked breaking the uncomfortable silence.

“Yes.” North said steeling her resolve looking at the deviant in front of her. “Connor.....” she started frowning as his LED spun yellow faster showing he was distressed, but his face remained impassive. “I wanted.....” she started and shook her head and sighed causing Connor to look at her his face curious. “No, I needed to apologize to you.” North finished as Connor’s eye widened in surprise. “I have not treated you fairly,” North continued. “I am sorry for the way I treated you, I shouldn’t hold you accountable for the things you did before you deviated. It wasn’t you, you were following your program, and I can’t fault you for that.” She finished diplomatically looking to Connor sitting on the bed with a slightly confused look on his face. “I will let you rest.” She turned and walked towards the door. As her hand reached the knob Connor called out to her.

“North?” He called. North stopped and turned slightly, her hand still on the knob. “Thank you.” He said quietly his LED finally turning back to blue. North nodded to him and stared out the door again, but something stopped her. She turned back to the young deviant on the bed.

“Connor.....can I ask you a question?” She asked politely.

“Yes......” Connor said, still slightly confused by North’s sudden change in behavior towards him.

“Who is Amanda?” She asks. Connor stilled and looked slightly panicked at the question. Whatever question he expected it wasn’t that.

“What?” He asked slightly breathless his LED spinning yellow faster. “How did you know that name? Did Markus tell you?” Connor asked his stress level rising. North noticed his rising stress and quickly walked back into the room to try to calm him down.

“No, nothing like that. You just yelled her name when you were in rest mode.” North explained. “If you don’t want to talk about it that’s fine. You don’t owe me an explanation.” North finished quietly

Connor nodded his LED spinning slower as he calmed down. “Connor I know that I come across as a cold hearted bitch.....” North started as Connor shook his head

“No North, I’ve never....” Connor started but North held up her hand to silence him. He obeyed with raised eyebrows.

“It’s ok Connor, I know that I am.” North said with a smile. “I own it, I won’t deny it. I know I have......anger issues as Markus would say. I know our circumstances were very different, but........” North paused trying to think about what she wanted to say to Connor. “I know what it’s like to, feel....... trapped. To have to do something over and over because you were told to and not because you wanted to. I know the fear of realizing that what you are being made to do is wrong, but being too scared of what would happen to you to stop.” She said gently to Connor as his eyes welled up with unshed tears and he looked back down to his lap. “What I’m saying is you aren’t alone, and I’m sorry I made you feel that way. I’m not good at talking about stuff, but I can listen if you need to.” North said kindly with a rare smile towards Connor who returned it with one of his own.

“Thank you North, I will keep that in mind.” Connor said. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Yes.” North stated trying to appear open to the deviant in the bed. She figured she owed him something other than anger.

“What......why.....” Connor sighed as he tried to wrap his head around North’s sudden change of heart towards him. “What made you change your mind? About me I mean?” He asked curiously looking at her sincerely.

“Well, Markus, Josh and Simon. They sing your praises.” North said as Connor chuckled slightly.

“They just like my dogs.” Connor said jokingly with a smile causing North to smile as well appreciating his attempt to make her feel more at ease.

“And Simon recently reminded me of a few things that I should have thought about before I directed all my anger at you.” North answered honestly. “It just takes me a while to listen. I can be stubborn sometimes.”

“Hank says the same thing about me. “ Connor said his smile retuning. “Although he uses more......colorful language. He’s expanded my insult vocabulary greatly.”

North frowned slightly “He calls you names?”

“Oh no, nothing like that.” Connor said hurriedly. “He is abrasive when you first meet him, but that’s his way of keeping people away.” Connor said quietly. “He’s had a rough few years. He drinks too much, his diet is horrible, he had a habit of playing Russian roulette, but he didn’t hesitate to welcome me into his home. I don’t know what I would have done without him.” Connor said

“He doesn’t sound like a very nice human.” North said her expression slightly angered.

Connor sighed quietly. “He wasn’t, at first. But something changed in him. I think he just needed someone to care about him.” Connor said sadly as he looked towards the bedroom door. “I believe he can do better, that he can be better. He just needed to believe it too. He’s trying now, he’s really cut back on his drinking, and his diet is improving. He has helped me with many things. He started seeing the deviants we were chasing as living beings, and he helped me see it too. He...... he’s become like a father to me and I am very grateful for that.” Connor said looking sincerely at North. “I consider myself lucky. I have known some good humans in my short life, and that gives me hope for our people in the future.”

“The humans that I have been in contact with were all vile pieces of filth that didn’t care for anything but their own satisfaction.” North spat. Connor looked at North thoughtfully as if he was trying to figure out what to say that wouldn’t make her angrier.

“I’m not going to try to convince you otherwise North, but there are good people out there, and I am sorry that you haven’t met any yet.” Connor said. He sifted in bed and grimaced as he jostled his injured leg. “I don’t like that I have pain censors.” Connor complained changing the subject. “They serve no purpose.”

“I should let you rest, your leg will heal faster if you go into rest mode.” North said. “Like I said before, if you ever want to talk. I can listen.”

“Thank you North.” Connor said sincerely as he laid back down and tried to get his leg comfortable. “And I extended the same offer to you. I can listen as well as talk.”

“That’s kind of you.” North said quietly. No one had ever offered that to her before. Everyone at Jericho knew what she was before she deviated and that she was scarred by it, but no one offered to just let her talk about it if she needed. “Get some rest.” She said as she exited the room. She made her way downstairs and sat down in a chair in the living room. The thirium that Connor had lost had been cleaned up and long ago evaporated, but North continued to stare at the couch where he was bleeding only hours earlier. Coming to a decision North rang for a taxi and stood and quietly made her way out the front door. She had a couple questions and hoped she could find answers at New Jericho.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. If you like it please let me know


	5. The next day, and new revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after the attack, and North gets the information she was looking for

Connor came out of rest mode slowly, looking around he was slightly confused as to where he was, but then the events of the previous night came back to him and he brought his hand to his face and sighed. Running his hand over his face he realized that his internal alarm didn’t wake him up. His healing program had taken priority and some of his non-priority systems had been deactivated to give his healing program more power. Slowly Connor sat up in bed. Moving slowly slightly apprehensive that his leg would continue to hurt, he put both feet down on the floor. Looking to the chair by the bed he smiled as he noticed a small pile of fresh clothes folded neatly there. Connor stood and gently tested his leg relieved that he had no pain. He quickly dressed and walked towards the door. Just as he got there the door opened and Hank appeared from the hallway.

“Connor, finally awake.” Hank said with a relieved smile. “How are you feeling?” He asked as he brought Connor in for a quick hug. “God Connor, don’t you fuckin do that again. I almost lost you.” Hank sighed as Connor returned the embrace.

“Sorry Hank.” Connor said quietly as he stepped back. “It was not my intention to be injured. I just had to get him outside. I knew that assistance was on the way. How was it that you and the Captain were on duty?” Connor questioned.

“A few on the night shift came down with the flu, so I went in to help out for a few hours. Jeffery was just leaving as your call came in so he grabbed me and drove here.” Hank explained, wishing he could get the memory of Lyle standing over an injured Connor out of his head. Hank had woken up from his own nightmares the night before. They got there a second too late and Lyle drove the knife into Connor’s chest. He woke up in a cold sweat and found himself out of bed and halfway to Connor’s room before he completely woke up. He did check on Connor just to ease his mind, and he then tried to get some more rest.

“Well I’m glad you came.” Connor said with a smile. “Will I have to go to the precinct to give my statement?”

“Fowler is downstairs.” Hank answered. “He came to get it.”

“Oh, I hope he wasn’t waiting long.” Connor said with a small frown. 

“Connor don’t worry about it.” Hank said. “Markus and Simon treated us to breakfast so Fowler has a full stomach, so he’s happy.” Hank slung his arm around Connor’s shoulder and guided him downstairs to the dining room where everyone was gathered. Markus and Simon smiled at Connor as he walked in. Jeffery stood up from the table and reached out to shake Connor’s hand.

“Connor, glad to see you’re ok.” He said sincerely as Connor smiled at the Captain.

“Thank you Captain.” Connor said politely. “I assume you are here to get my statement.”

“Yes, when you’re ready.” Fowler said as he sat back down at the table. Connor sat across from him and Hank sat down beside him. Connor gave his statement quickly and efficiently leaving nothing out. When he was finished Fowler stood to leave.

“Thank you Connor, I’m glad you’re ok. And once employment laws go into effect I want you back on the force. If that’s what you want.” He said sincerely

“I would like that.” Connor said with a smile.

“Good, I’m working through a lot of red tape and politics now so when the time comes you can start immediately.” Fowler explained.

“Thank you Captain.” Connor said gratefully as Markus stood to show the Captain out. As Markus returned he sat next to Connor and put his hand on Connor’s shoulder.

“Connor I need to thank you. You saved my life, I don’t know what we would have done if you hadn’t been here.” Markus said sincerely. “I just wish you hadn’t gotten hurt.” He added guiltily.

“You can’t blame yourself for that.” Connor said surprised. “I’m ok, and more importantly you and your family are safe.”

“But you didn’t need to take Lyle on yourself.” Simon said softly. “We could have helped you.” Connor looked between his friends in front of him.

“I didn’t want anyone to get hurt. I knew that Lyle was former military. I have an extensive self defense program. I knew I just had to hold out until backup arrived.” Connor tried to reason with his friends. “I had to keep everyone safe.”

Markus sighed and smiled slightly. “Connor you are our friend. We want to protect you just as much as you want to protect us.” He explained as he squeezed Connor’s shoulder. Connor smiled slightly.

“Ok, next time there’s a disgruntled former Cyberlife employee trying to kill you I will let you fight him.” Connor said with a raised eyebrow towards Markus as Simon and Leo chuckled.

“That’s all I ask.” Markus said with a laugh.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~D:BH~~~~~~~~~~~~~

North sat in her room looking out the window thinking about how wrong she was about Connor. She returned to New Jericho looking for answers and she found them in the form of memories and erased security camera footage. She put the word out that she was looking for deviants who had come across the deviant hunter before the revolution. Not too long after two Tracie models, Amy and Susan found her. They let her access their memories of the night they escaped the detectives, escaped The Eden Club. What she saw made her feel guilty for the way she treated Connor, and she didn’t like that feeling.

“He pulled his aim.” She whispered to herself thinking back on what she saw. The fight between the two deviants and two detectives in the back room and then out in the alleyway. It was just a slight movement from Connor but North kept replaying it in her mind. He had his gun aimed right as Susan as she was running for him. Then he just pulled his gun up and let her kick him down. North knew that he did that purposely. She saw him on the ship as the soldiers chased them. He took them down with deadly precision and no hesitation. He let the deviants go, there was no doubt in her mind. He was still a machine, hadn’t deviated yet, and he just let them go.

She was also able to find a deviant who worked at Stratford Tower. He used his access, and hacking abilities to get the previously erased security camera footage from the roof the day that Markus sent his message to the world. She saw Simon crawl into that container as the rest of them jumped. She saw the police and FBI on the roof, she forwarded through the footage until she saw Connor and Hank get to the roof. She saw Connor look at the extra parachute, he followed their footsteps in the snow to the edge of the roof. He seemed to slightly step away from the edge, like he was scared of heights. He shouldn’t be scared unless he was deviating even then and didn’t know it. Then he went back to where Simon had rested, he then followed the blue blood traces. North couldn’t believe what she saw. Connor stood right outside the container that Simon was hiding in, he reached for the handle and he froze. He slowly retracted his hand and walked back to his partner and the exited the roof.

She watched him interview the androids in the kitchen. She gasped in slight shock as the deviant savagely attacked Connor, pinned his hand to the table with a knife and pulled out his thirium pump regulator. She watched as Connor struggled to get his regulator back and then he got up and ran to the hallway where the deviant had stolen a gun. Connor quickly took a gun from the cop beside him and shot the deviant before he could kill any humans. She saw Hank come up to him and take his injured hand and carefully examine it and then look at the blood covering the front of him. Then she saw Hank put his arm around Connor’s shoulders and lead him out of the hall.

North retreated to her room and thought about how wrong she was. It was not a feeling she liked. There was a knock at her door, she sighed. “Come in.” She called shortly. Josh entered quietly and came and sat down beside her on the couch.

“I saw you come back.” Josh explained. “I heard you were asking for anyone who had contact with the deviant hunter.” Josh said a little bite in his voice as he finished. North sighed and looked to Josh.

“I know Josh, I was wrong.” North told him. “I already talked to Connor, apologized to him.”

“Wow.” Josh said raising his eyebrows slightly. “I’m surprised.”

“Why?” She asked curiously

“I love you North, but you don’t like to admit you are wrong. And even when you do it sometimes comes across as insincere.” Josh explained. “You have a very....... strong personality, you are a badass. I know you think saying sorry is a sign of weakness. So I know you had to mean it to say it.”Josh finished. North nodded her head and they both sat in comfortable silence for a while. 

“I saw memories from deviants at The Eden Club.” North said quietly. Josh turned to look at her, concern coloring his features, knowing her hatred of that place. “Connor was investigating a murder. Amy killed her client, before he could kill her. She and Susan hid in the storage room.” North paused thinking back to her time at the hellhole club. “Connor and Hank found them. Fought them. Connor had his gun aimed right at Susan.... but he stopped himself. He pulled his aim, just pulled the gun up and let her kick him down.” She finished.

“I’m not surprised. Connor was fighting for deviancy a lot longer than we thought.” Josh said. North brought up her hand and projected the camera footage from the rooftop. Josh watched interested. He sighed as the footage ended. “He felt bad for killing that deviant.” Josh said quietly.

“How do I fix this?” North questioned. “This feeling, I don’t like it. I’ve not felt this way before.”

“This is the first time you have regretted your actions?” Josh asked. North looked out the window and nodded. Josh sighed, “There’s not much you can do. You apologize and try to move on. Just support Connor when you can, there are still many deviants who are still uncomfortable around him. He says he understands, but I think it bothers him.” Josh said quietly. North nodded and turned to look back out the window. The two sat looking put over the city for a while, then Josh eventually left for his own apartment, bidding North a goodnight he left. North sighed and decided she would go into rest mode and try to forget about this new unpleasant feeling.


	6. Going to the dogs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Markus wants to get Simon a dog, so Connor takes him to the animal shelter

Spring finally made it’s appearance in Detroit, much to Connor’s delight. It was his first experience with the change of seasons, although he knew all about the different seasons, it was a whole different thing to experience them for himself. Hank, as much as he grumbled, found Connor’s enthusiasm endearing and found himself outside with his adopted son more and more.

“Enjoy this weather now Connor. When July and August get here it will be hot as balls.” Hank teased as he and Connor walked Sumo and Snow to the dog park. Connor chuckled slightly and shook his head.

“I think I will find it more enjoyable than winter.” Connor said with a small smile. The winter had felt long to the deviant, and his uneasy feelings around snowstorms didn’t help.

“I hear ya. Winter can kiss my ass.” Hank agreed as Sumo tugged on his leash impatient to get to the park. “Calm down you big lug.” He laughed as they entered the park and let him off the leash to roam. Hank looked over to Connor and smiled as he watched Connor interact with a family in the park who’s daughter had come over to see Snow. The little girl was enamored with the large dog and was asking Connor all sorts of questions as her father and mother laughed and tried to apologize for their outspoken daughter. Connor laughed and assured them it was ok. Hank just shook his head as he thought about how far Connor had come since the revolution. His confidence had grown so much, he was becoming his own person before Hank’s eyes, and Hank couldn’t be more proud.

Hank reached in his pocket and fingered the badge that Fowler had given him before he left for the weekend. Android employment laws were just being put into effect and Fowler wasted no time in finding Hank to give him the news.

“Anderson, heads up.” Fowler said as he came out of his office and walked towards Hank’s desk. Hank looked up and caught the badge that Fowler tossed to him. “Give that to Connor, tell him I’ll see him next week. Why don’t you head out early today, not too much going on right now, have a good weekend.” Jeffery said as he smiled and headed towards the door to leave for the day. Hank had returned home just as Connor was walking out the door with the two dogs, so Hank join them for the walk to the dog park.

Connor made his way back to Hank with a small smile and a curious look on his face. “You seem to be in a good mood today Hank. Did work go good then?” Connor questioned.

“Well you could say that.” Hank said as he brought his hand out of his pocket and presented the badge to Connor. “Fowler told me he expects you there bright and early Monday morning Detective.” Hank said fondly with pride in his voice. Connor’s eyes widened as he realized what Hank held in his hand.

“But.... the employment law isn’t fully passed yet.” Connor said with confusion as he reached for the badge. He held it in his hand and stared at it with a smile and he looked up to Hank.

“It will be passed, it’s just a matter of time.” Hank said quietly. “To be honest the department fuckin needs you. Our resources are stretched thin, and with the new laws coming into effect, that crime against androids will be punished, we will be even busier. And I think, and Fowler agrees, that androids will be more likely to report crimes against them to you, rather than a human officer.” Hank explained. “It will be good to have you back.” Hank said fondly as he nudged Connor’s shoulder.

“Yes, it will be good to be back.” Connor said with a smile towards Hank as he put his badge in his pocket. Suddenly there was movement off to the right of Hank as someone ran past them with a yell. Connor chuckled slightly as Hank jumped slightly startled.

“SUMO!” Josh yelled loudly for the big dog quickly getting to his knees and clapping his hands to get the dogs attention. Sumo for his part ran straight for the deviant and almost knocked him over. Josh laughed as he started giving Sumo attention. Markus and North walked up to the two detectives with small smiles on their faces.

“Careful Hank,” Markus said amusement in his voice. “Josh might steal your dog.”

“That’s fine, I’ll just have Connor arrest him for theft.” Hank said as he shook Markus’s hand. “Could be your first official arrest.” Hank laughed as he looked towards Connor.

“Are you officially hired back with the department?” Markus asked excitedly. Everyone had worked hard on the employment laws and he was so glad to see them finally going into effect. It was just another big step towards equality for his people.

“Yes.” Connor said a genuine smile lighting up his face as he pulled his new badge out of his pocket and showed it to Markus who matched his smile with one of his own. “I start back on Monday.”

“That’s great Connor.” Markus said sincerely.

“That is great. Congratulations Connor.” North added with a small smile towards Connor.

“Thanks, but if you don’t mind me asking. What are you guys doing here?” Connor questioned as he bent over to scratch Snow behind her ears. Snow lapped at his hand happily and then walked over to Markus and North. North held her hand out to the dog before she started petting her with a curious smile. Connor and North had been on better terms lately, it was still slightly awkward but Connor hoped that they would soon become friends.

“Simon really really wants a dog.” Markus answered with a sigh. “I have no idea where to start.” He said as Hank laughed slightly.

“So you came to the dog park to check out the different breeds?” Hank asked as Markus nodded looking slightly overwhelmed as he squatted down beside North and gave Snow some attention.

“Can I just take Snow?” Markus asked as he vigorously scratched Snow’s back as the dog leaned into him.

“I wouldn’t want to arrest you for theft too.” Connor said as he narrowed his eyes towards his friend with a small grin on his face. “The leader of the revolution arrested for dog napping. Think of what the press would say.” He continued as North chuckled quietly.

“I wouldn’t bail you out.” She said. “I’m on Connor’s side.” She said with a smile as Snow licked her cheek. Connor started as he heard that from her and grinned slightly.

“At least someone is.” Hank said as he clapped Connor on the shoulder causing him to stumble forward slightly. “Why don’t you kids go to the shelter? I’m sure Ashley would like to meet Markus.” Hank said with a grin. “She would probably give you all the dogs free of charge.”

“What? Why?” Markus asked as he stood up.

“She is very supportive of android rights.” Connor explained with a smile. “She refused to accept any payment for Snow. But now that I have my job back I think with my first paycheck I’ll make a donation to the shelter.” He said thoughtfully as Markus and North agreed that it was a good idea.

“Do you guys have time to go?” Hank questioned the two Jericho leaders in front of him. The looked at each other and nodded.

“We surprisingly have a light schedule this week.” Markus said. With the new laws written, and re-written, they just had to pass Congress. So it was more a waiting game. Sure Markus and the other leaders had meetings with politicians and people of influence to try to get support, but that was going to be a constant from now on.

“Ok you three head to the shelter. Josh will help me get the dogs home.” Hank said as he took the leash from Connor’s hand. “Right Josh?” Hank questioned as the android in question walked up to the group with Sumo following behind him.

“Sure?” Josh’s answer sounded more like a question as he hadn’t been paying attention to the conversation going on around him. Hank simply gave Josh Sumo’s leash.

“The Gears game is coming on in half an hour, we can get home before it starts if we get going now.” Hank said to Josh who look questionably at Hank and then an excited smile came over his face as he nodded. Josh and Simon had visited Connor and Hank’s house quiet a few times since their initial visit. Markus not as much because of his busier schedule. North had come by a few times with Josh and Simon as well. The detective was glad that Connor had some friends that seemed to care for him, and he had come to care about the androids as well. They bugged him about his health, he bugged them about their power levels and working too hard.

“Here, take this.” Hank said coming close to Connor as he handed a few hundred dollars to him. “I doubt she will charge you, but just in case you have some money.” He explained quietly. “And I know you will pay me back.” He finished seeing the look on Connor’s face. “See you later Connor. Good luck picking out a dog Markus.” Hank’s said as he stepped back with a small wave as he and Josh exited the dog park.

“So do you have any idea what type of dog that Simon wants?” Connor asked as they left the park and hailed an automated taxi.

“None whatsoever.” Markus sighed slightly as North snickered quietly at him as they got settled in the taxi as it drove towards their destination.

“Well you would need a dog that is good with apartment living. We will have to see what dogs they have at the shelter.” Connor said with a smile. He then looked towards North, “Are you getting a dog as well? Or perhaps a cat?” He questioned curiously.

“Oh, no I....” North started looking uncharacteristically flustered. “I don’t think me having an animal is a good idea Connor.” She finally answered.

“Why?” Connor questioned confused “I’m sure you would take great care of an animal. Any dog or cat would be lucky to be adopted by you.” He said seriously as North flushed slightly at the sincere compliment, not used to receiving them.

“Thank you Connor. I’ll give it some thought.” She said with a smile towards him. North still felt as if she didn’t deserve Connor’s quick forgiveness and was still trying to figure out how to act around the deviant. Connor for his part seemed to have moved on and had forgotten any past hurt that he experienced from her. North found herself becoming curious about the ex-hunter, how he was so forgiving after everything he went through. She just hadn’t worked up the courage to ask him.

“So when is Jessica moving?” Markus asked Connor who frowned slightly and sighed.

“Next week.” Connor supplied. “Her father is sick, she is moving to assist her mother in caring for him. I’ll miss her.” Connor finished sullenly thinking about his friend. She came to Connor and explained that she felt she needed to be with her parents at this time. Connor of course supported her decision but was sad to see her go. He cared for her and had hoped that there would be something more between them, but it seems it wasn’t meant to be.

“I’m sorry Connor.” North told him sincerely.

“Thank you, but it’s for the best. She needs to go.” Connor said as the taxi pulled up to the front of the shelter. The three deviants got out of the taxi and made their way up the walk to the door. Connor smiled as he opened the door and stepped inside. The front desk was empty.

“There’s nobody here?” Markus questioned looking towards North who shrugged. Connor rang the bell on the front desk and waited.

“I’m coming!” Came a familiar yell from the back. “Please don’t leave, I’m coming!” The voice said getting closer as Connor chuckled slightly as Ashley raced through the door to the desk. She stopped and smiled as she saw Connor standing there. “Connor! Wonderful to see you again!” She said excitedly as she came around the counter to give the deviant a warm hug. “How’s Snow doing?” She asked about the big dog as she released the hug.

“She’s great.” Connor said with a warm smile towards the woman. “I actually brought a couple of my friends,” Connor said nodding to the two behind him. “They are wanting to get a dog or cat.”

“Oh well that’s great!” Ashley said as she turned to the two other androids in the room. “I’m sure we can find a perfect........” Ashley’s voice trailed off and her eyes widened as she realized who was with Connor.

“Ashley, this is North and Markus. Guys this is Ashley, she’s the director here.” Connor introduced with a smile.

“Very nice to meet you.” Markus stepped forward and held out his hand a warm smile on his face. “I hope you can help me, I’m trying to find a dog for my boyfriend.” He explained as Ashley took his hand and looked between the two deviants in front of her.

“Oh wow, it’s .... wow it’s a pleasure to meet you. I never in a million years thought that I would get the chance to meet you two.” She gushed as she took North’s hand and shook it as well. “I’m so grateful for everything you did! It’s just amazing what you did! I can’t believe you are here, in my shelter!” Ashley said with excitement as Connor hid a smile behind his hand as North and Markus smiled slightly uncomfortable with all the praise.

“That’s very nice of you to say.” Markus said with a slight blush. “It’s refreshing to meet a human who supports us.” He explained.

“There’s quite a few of us, don’t let the anti android bigots discourage you. We support you fully.” Ashley told the two in front of her kindly. “Well, you said you needed a dog for your boyfriend? We have all kinds, come on I’m sure we can find you the perfect new family member to take home.” She said as she lead the three through the door to the back where the dog kennels were located. “Here you go. I’ll let you look around. Just come find me or Doug if you have any questions. The cat room is just over there if you’re interested.” She pointed to a door at the far end of the room. She smiled and took her leave letting the deviants look around.

The three walked the rows of kennels looking at the dogs in them. Markus looked overwhelmed as he walked past the fourth kennel. “How can I choose just one?” He questioned with a smile. “They’re all so sweet.”

“What about this one here?” Connor called to Markus from down the isle. Markus quickly walked towards the kennel where Connor was kneeling with his fingers through the bar scratching a dog behind the ear. Markus knelt beside him and looked in the kennel and immediately melted.

“Oh she’s so cute!” Markus gushed as he poked his fingers out so the dog could sniff him. Connor looked at the nameplate and spoke.

“Her name is Winter. She’s an America Eskimo.” Connor supplied to Markus of the fluffy white dog in front of him. Connor then looked up information about the breed. “She looks to be full grown. This breed only gets to about forty pounds. And they are good apartment dogs.” Connor finished as North walked up to the pair.

“She’s perfect, looks like a mini Snow. Simon will love her.” She said with a smile. She turned her head and looked towards the door leading to the cat room. Connor noticed and leaned towards her slightly.

“Did you want to look at the cats?” Connor asked as North snapped her eyes from the door to Connor who smiled encouraging at her. “I like cats, but Hank doesn’t. He calls them little demons with tails. I think he was attacked by a cat when he was young so he holds a strong dislike for them.” Connor added with a smile.

North opened her mouth to say no, but she took one look at the soft smile and excited look Connor was giving her and she said “Ok, but just to look.” Connor’s smile grew and he and North headed towards the cat room. As they got to the door Connor opened it and held it for North who shook her head and chuckled as she walked through.

The cat room had a couple large kennels with cat trees that lined the sides. There was an android in one cleaning the litter boxes. He looked up with interest. “Hello, I’m Doug. Can I help you with anything?”

“I’m Connor, this is North. We just wanted to look at the cats.” Connor explained.

“Connor?” Doug asked “As the Connor who adopted Snow?”

“Yes. She’s a wonderful dog.” Connor said sincerely

“My mother talked about you for at least a week.” Doug said as he stood and shook Connor’s hand. “I have to say thank you for everything you did during the revolution.” He said as Connor looked towards the ground.

“I didn’t do that much.” Connor said with a shrug. “North did a lot more for the revolution than I ever did. Her and Markus, Josh and Simon.” Connor said nodding to North beside him. North was going to say something to Connor but was interrupted by Doug as he recognized her.

“Ra9, it is you. I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you sooner!” Doug said excitedly as he reached to shake North’s hand with a warm smile. “Thank you so much for everything you did for us.” 

“Oh, well. You’re welcome.” North said slightly thrown off at the appreciation that she was being shown, especially outside of Jericho. “But I’m just here to look at the cats, if you want to talk to Markus he’s getting a dog.” North said with a sweet smile. Doug seemed to get even more excited.

“Markus is here?” He asked. “Ra9, this is one of the most exciting days we’ve had here. I’ll leave the kennels unlocked, just please shut the doors when you leave. I’ll lock them up later.” Doug said as he left the room to help Markus.

Connor smiled and chuckled as Doug left the room. Connor entered the kennel and was immediately swarmed by the animals in there. North laughed as Connor tried to take a step without stepping on any of the cats around his feet. North followed him in and bent down to pet one of the cats on the floor by his feet. She looked up as Connor cooed and was met with a very cute site.

“Oh you are cute, and spunky.” Connor was saying to the small tortoise shell cat that had jumped onto his shoulders. Connor was scratching her behind the ears and the small cat started purring loudly. “I’m sorry but if I brought you home I think Hank would kick both of us out.” Connor said as he brought the cat off his shoulders and cradled her to his chest. The cat looked up towards his face and meowed loudly.

“She is cute.” North said as she moved closer to Connor and reached her hand out to the small animal. The cat immediately reached her head up towards North’s hand and purred loudly as North scratched behind her ears.North laughed quietly. “You sure are laying on the charm aren’t you little one.” She said as she took the cat from Connor and cuddled her. “Ugggg, fine.” North said as she sighed and turned and walked out of the kennel still holding the small cat in her arms. Connor followed slowly trying not to step on any cats as he made his way out of the kennel and shut the door. He turned to North with a curious look on his face.

“So what are you going to name her?” He questioned as he approached the two with a smile.

“I don’t know, I shouldn’t even get a cat.” North said. “I don’t know how to care for an animal. I have a hard enough time caring for myself.” North admitted softly.

Connor hummed in agreement. “Hank says the same thing about me, I guess we are all just trying to figure out what it means to be alive.” Connor paused as if he was unsure about what he was going to say next. “But.... I’m glad... that we can figure it out together.” He said sincerely.

North looked over at Connor and smiled softly, grateful that she finally gave the deviant the chance he deserved and was still amazed that he held no grudge against her. “Connor... how is it that you forgave me so easily?” North finally questioned. “I treated you very unfairly. I was so unkind towards you, and now you act like we are best friends.”

Connor stopped walking and looked at her surprised. “You were just being cautious.” Connor said.

“No Connor, I was being cruel. I didn’t even give you a chance, I didn’t want to get to know you.” North interrupted. “Why aren’t you angry about that?”

Connor looked away and sighed. “I don’t like being angry North.” Connor confessed. “I can understand why I’m treated the way I am, and why it’s hard for the rest of the deviants to trust me. I’ll just have to work harder to show that I can be trusted. It’s just the way it is and being angry isn’t going to change that.”

“But you shouldn’t have to.” North said as she scratched the small cat under her chin. “I’ve been angry for so long....” North trailed off unsure about being vulnerable in front of Connor, but she knew he wouldn’t judge her for it. “I’m not sure I know any other way to be.” She said quietly.

“You were in a bad situation for a long time. And I’m guessing that you used your anger to guard yourself.” Connor said quietly “You had every reason to be angry, but your situation has changed, you changed it for yourself and for every other deviant in this city, country and soon the world.” Connor spoke passionately. “You don’t have to be so guarded anymore North, you have friends, Markus, Simon, Josh and everyone at the tower who will look out for you, you don’t have to handle everything alone, you can let yourself be happy.” He finished.

“And you?” North asked suddenly, at Connor’s confused expression she explained. “You said I have friends, Markus, Simon and Josh, but what about you?”

“Yes North.” Connor said as he looked down and smiled. He looked up at her with a wide smile on his face. “I would like that.”

“Good, So would I.” North said with a smile of her own as she bumped her shoulder into his playfully. “We can figure out what it means to be alive together.” She said kindly mirroring Connor’s words earlier finding herself wanting to see Connor’s smile again. Connor blushed slightly and ducked his head. He cleared his throat.

“Cider.” He said suddenly looking at the cat in North’s arms.

“What?” North said confused.

“You could name her Cider.” Connor said motioning to the small cat. “Some humans like to name their pets after food. And her colors remind me of apple cider.” Connor said with a small shrug.

“Oh!” North said with a small laugh and looked down to the cat in her arms. “What do you think? Do you like Cider?” The small cat looked up to North and meowed loudly, which caused North to laugh more. “I think she likes it.” North said as she looked to Connor, “Cider it is.”

North surprised Connor by taking his arm as they walked towards the door. Connor reached up and scratched Cider behind her ears, the small cat purred and closed her eyes content. North felt a weight lift from her as she looked at Connor. She didn’t know how to describe it, but it felt good. She knew that Connor didn’t expect anything from her, she didn’t have to be one of the leaders of the revolution, she could just be herself and that was enough for him, even if she was still figuring out who she wanted to be.

Markus smiled as he looked at the white dog sitting at his feet. He had just gotten the paperwork from Doug and signed everything. Winter was officially his. He looked towards the door as Connor and North came out of the cat room. He raised his eyebrows as he noticed North holding Connor’s arm, and then he noticed the small cat in her other arm.

“Really? I thought you were just going to look.” Markus said with a hint of teasing in his voice.

“Well, Cider has good taste.” North said “She jump right onto Connor’s shoulders, basically begging to be adopted. I couldn’t just leave her.” North finished.

“Cider?” Markus questioned with a smile as he stepped close to scratch the cats head.

“Like apple cider.” North explained

“It fits.” Markus said as Winter jumped up and put her paws on his leg trying to get a better look at the cat. Markus bent over and lifted the dog into his arms and smiled as she licked his face. They all walked towards the front counter. Ashley was there talking to a family who had just entered, a mother and daughter. The conversation stopped as the three androids entered the room. The women looked cautiously at the three and let out a small gasp when she met eyes with Connor. North and Markus could since Connor tense slightly as he seemed to recognize the women staring at him.

“I’m sorry,” Markus said stepping forward looking at the women. “We don’t want to cause any sort of discomfort for you, we just want to adopt these animals.” He said in a soothing voice motioning to Cider and Winter. “We can wait.” He said to the women but she barely gave Markus a second glance before she took her daughters hand and stepped forward slightly.

“It’s you isn’t it?” She questioned looking at Connor with tears forming in her eyes. “Do you remember...... us?” She asked quietly.

“Yes, Mrs. Phillips I remember you, and Emma.” Connor answered.

“Oh my....can I......can I give you a hug?” She asked in a shaking voice. Looking surprised Connor nodded slowly and lifted his arms slightly and that was all it took and Caroline Phillips rushed towards Connor and threw her arms around him in a bone crushing hug. Markus, North and Ashley looking at the scene confused.

“Oh my God! Thank you so much. You saved her, I never thought I would get to say it but thank you. I am so sorry about what I said that day. I am so grateful to you.” She rambled on as Connor brought his arms up and returned the hug. He held the women as she cried on his shoulder and gave her a minute to compose herself as she stepped back to her daughter and grabbed her hand.

“Hello Emma.” Connor said kindly. “Are you getting a dog or cat today? Or one of each?” He asked as the little girl smiled.

“Maybe both.” The girl said as her mom chuckled wiping a tear from her cheek. “We moved to a house with a yard so now I can have pets.” she explained shyly.

“I’m sure that you will find a nice pet to take home with you.” Connor said with a warm smile. Caroline tugged slightly on her daughters hand.

“We won’t take up anymore of your time, but I never asked your name.” She said looking towards him.

“I’m Connor.” He introduced himself.

“Connor.” The women repeated with a smile. “Well thank you Connor. For saving my daughter, and for saving me. I don’t think I would have..... I just don’t know what I would have done if she.......” The women trailed off unable finish the sentence. Connor thought back to how Hank was when they first met, and was glad he saved Mrs. Phillips from that heartbreak. Suddenly Emma stepped forward and Connor instinctively knelt down in front of her.

“Thank you.” She said quietly as she reached up and wrapped her arms around Connor’s neck for a hug. “I don’t know why Daniel did that, he could have talked to me. But I’m glad you were there to save me.” She whispered as she pulled back and returned to her mom. Doug had come and opened the door to show them to the dog and cat room. Caroline looked back towards Connor as they went through the door, she smiled warmly and nodded to him as they parted ways.

Connor stared at the door for a couple seconds well aware that everyone was staring at him. “Excuse me for a moment.” He said looking to North for a brief moment before he exited the building, he saw a look of concern on her and Markus faces as he stepped outside.

Connor hadn’t thought of that night in a long time. It was his first encounter with a deviant and it had technically been a successful mission, but all Connor could remember was Daniel’s face as the snipers bullet tore threw it. The look of betrayal and the deviants last words ‘You lied to me Connor’ played through Connor’s mind as he leaned back against the building and sighed. He stood there for a few minutes and hailed a pet friendly taxi. Soon North, Markus and Ashley came outside, the former two were loaded down with pet supplies. Connor quickly stepped forward and took some bags from North and Markus. He smiled reassuringly at them as he turned to Ashley.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t expect to ever see Mrs. Phillips again, let alone that she would remember me. I was slightly overwhelmed.” Connor explained quietly. Ashley just smiled at him and enveloped him in a warm hug.

“It’s alright honey.” She said understanding. “I live and work with two deviants, I understand the overwhelming emotions.” She said as she kissed his cheek and released him from the motherly embrace. “Come back here soon, bring Hank and Snow with you.” She said with a smile as Connor nodded. As she said her goodbyes to Markus and North the taxi pulled up. Connor deposited the bags in the trunk as the other two climbed inside with their new family members. Connor climbed in and sat down next to North. Both animals in the car immediately tried to crowd the young deviants space. Cider jumped on his lap as Winter curled up on his feet. Connor immediately felt himself relaxing as he soaked up the warmth and love coming from the two animals.

“It was my first case.... my first deviant case.” Connor started knowing that the other androids were wondering what just happened. “A deviant, Daniel, killed his owner and was holding a little girl hostage. He was standing on the edge of the roof of the seventieth floor.” He said.

“Emma?” Markus questioned. Connor looked up from petting Cider and nodded.

“I’m a programmed negotiator. I was able to talk Daniel into letting her go. I told him he would be safe, I promised.” Connor paused and sighed. “As soon as Emma was clear two snipers shot him. Killed him right in front of me. His last word were ‘you lied to me Connor’. My mission was considered a success, but looking back, it really wasn’t.” Connor finished. “At the time.... I didn’t feel bad about it. I just accepted it and I turned around and left, but now.....” Connor sighed dejectedly and looked out the window. North and Markus looked at each other with concern.

“You shouldn’t think about things like that Connor. You weren’t yourself yet, you were still a slave to your program.” Markus said as he reached down and scratched Winters ears. The little dog lapped at his hand loving the attention.

“Will you come to Jericho with us?” North asked suddenly. Connor looked at her his eyebrows raised.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea North.” He said

“Why, you have to come help me get Cider’s thing set up and sorted out.” She pleaded. “You’re going to have to come sooner or later, why not just do it now? It will be fine Connor. I’ll be there with you and so will Markus. Besides don’t you want to see Simon’s reaction to getting Winter?” She did her best to try to convince her friend to overcome his fear and step inside the tower again.

“You need to see it as a home for deviants, not a prison. I promise you that it doesn’t look at all like it did when it was Cyberlife.” Markus said. “We made many renovations, it may look the same outside, but I promise it’s completely different inside.”

“Please Connor?” North questioned one last time.

Connor sighed softly and looked at his two friends eager faces. He had heard their arguments before about him visiting the tower, and Hank had agreed with them. He told Connor _“They’re just excited to show you their home you all worked so hard to get.”_ Connor hadn’t thought about it that way and looking at his friends faces now he couldn’t say no.

“Ok.” Connor said quietly causing North and Markus to break out in smiles.

“Great!” Markus said as he contacted Josh and Simon letting them know Connor would be at the tower. North contacted a couple people as well. The taxi drove slowly through the streets and Connor felt himself grow more anxious as they got closer to the tower. North reached out and scratched Cider under her chin, the little cat purred loudly causing her to smile.

“Thank you for convincing me to look at the cats Connor.” She said to him trying to distract him a little.

“You’re welcome.” He said as he turned his attention to the small cat on his lap and started running his hand down her back. With each stroke she would lift her back end up pushing into his hand. Soon the taxi stopped outside the security wall. Connor reluctantly looked up and noticed that the wall no longer said Cyberlife, instead it spelled out New Jericho. The android at the gate saw Markus inside the cab and nodded. He reached and activated the gate and it slow lowered down allowing the cab to pass.


	7. New Jericho

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> North and Markus finally convince Connor to visit New Jericho, but an unwelcome surprise causes stress and brings up many questions for Connor

The massive tower still was an imposing figure to Connor as he stepped out of the cab. North handed him Cider as she and Markus got their new pet supplies from the trunk. Connor held the little cat close as the three headed toward the entrance. Connor kept his head down as they past through the front doors and into the main lobby where many deviants were in small groups holding conversations. Many conversations paused as Connor walked past, Connor could feel eyes on him and was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable. He looked to North who smiled at him encouragingly.

“Connor! Wait!” Came a sudden yell from the right side of the lobby. The lobby grew silent as the three stopped walking and Connor looked over to see two deviants walking towards him. Connor recognized them immediately, the blue haired traci and her companion walked hand in hand towards him with hesitant smiles on their faces. They came to a stop in front of Connor who adjusted his grip on Cider. The small cat must have sensed Connor’s anxiety because she reached up to rub the top of her head under Connor’s chin and purred loudly. The two smiled at the sight and Amy reached out tentatively to pet the small cat’s head.

“She’s cute. Is she yours?” Amy questioned looking at Connor. He was surprised to find no fear or judgment on her face, just open curiosity.

“No, Cider belongs to North, I do have a dog at home.” Connor explained quietly. “I’m not sure I know your names.” Connor finished looking between the two in front of him.

“Oh I’m Amy.” The blue hair deviant said

“I’m Susan.” Her partner introduced herself with a smile as well. “We wanted to thank you.” She said much to Connor’s surprise.

“What? Why?” Connor asked surprise written on his face. “I should be apologizing to you...” Connor started but was quickly interrupted by Amy.

“No Connor, no. You don’t have to apologize to us. We are alive because you and your partner let us go!” Amy said loud enough for the surrounding deviants to hear.

“If anyone else had found us they would have killed us, but you gave us a chance to be free, to be together. We are forever grateful to you for that.” Susan added with a grateful smile.“So....Thank you Connor.”

“You’re welcome.” Connor answered quietly with an uneasy smile, not expecting gratitude or the easy acceptance of the two deviants.

Standing behind Connor, Markus looked suspiciously at North._ “Did you contact Amy and Susan to tell them Connor would be here?”_ He asked.

_“Yes. They wanted to thank Connor for what he did for them, so I told them he was coming. I know I was wrong for excluding him earlier Markus. I’m trying to make up for it now.”_ North answered

_“That was really very thoughtful North. I just want him to feel accepted here, with his people.”_ Markus said looking at the interaction between the three in front of him.

_ “Me too.”_ North answered as she stepped forward to stand by Connor’s side. Smiling at Amy and Susan she said “Once we get this little girl settled in my apartment let’s give Connor the grand tour.” She said excitedly to the two who both quickly agreed.

Just then Simon entered the lobby and looked over towards the group. His eyes immediately found Markus and he smiled. As he stated walking towards them he noticed the leash in Markus’s hand, and the other end attached to a fluffy white dog. “Markus?” He questioned quietly as he dropped to his knees and Winter excitedly ran to him for attention.

“This is Winter, our new dog.” Markus said with a smile as he knelt down next to Simon.

“Really?” Simon asked with a elated smile. “She is wonderful Markus. Thank you so much.” Simon said as he leaned towards Markus and gave him a grateful kiss. Winter barked excitedly and jumped up to lick the pair causing them to break apart and laugh at the dogs antics.

Simon looked up at Connor with a smile. “It’s good to finally see you here Connor.” He said. “We’ve worked so hard to make this a home, I’m excited to show you some of the things we have been working on.” He said as he stood up and then he noticed the small cat in Connor’s arms. “She’s cute too.” He said.

“She’s mine.” North said with a warm smile. “Her name is Cider. Why don’t you guys go get Winter settled, and we will go to my apartment and get Cider settled in and then we can give Connor the tour.” North said as she grabbed Connor’s arm and pulled him towards the elevator.

“Ok, call us when you’re finished.” Simon called after them. Connor slowed down to actually look around as he and North headed towards the elevator. The huge statue that once stood in the middle of the building was no longer there, instead the middle of the lobby had been covered in soil and grass and what looked to be a flower garden. There were benches and a small playground as well. And in the very center was a large fountain, the sound of the water soothing the worries from the outside world.

“A park?” Connor asked with a smile towards North.

“Not my idea.” North said “But it’s a nice place to sit and relax.”

“It’s better.” Connor said looking at the child androids playing then back to North with a smile who returned it warmly.

“Come on. Let’s get Cider home.” North said as they headed towards the elevator. “The upper floors were converted to apartments and a couple floors were left as conference and meeting rooms.” North explained as the elevator ascended. “The underground floors where production was has been converted to medical floors. Simon has been overseeing that, I’ve helped him some. The warehouse is huge, we are trying to figure out what to do with that all that space.” She said as she looked towards Connor.

“This is very impressive North.” Connor said, “You should all be proud of what you’re accomplished in such a short amount of time.”

“Thanks Connor, I’m glad you came.” She said as the elevator stopped at the designated floor. North stepped off and Connor followed. North stopped at her door and held her hand up to panel to unlock it. She opened the door and stepped in Connor stood in the doorway for a moment before following her inside.

Connor looked around the apartment curiously as North set her bags of pet supplies down. Connor set Cider down on the floor and the cat started walking around sniffing her new home.

“This is really nice North. Did you renovate it all yourself?” Connor questioned looking around the apartment. The former conference room looked nothing like what it once was. It was only two rooms and a small bathroom that consisted of a shower and vanity, there was no kitchen as androids don’t need to eat. There was a new wall that was separating the living room and bedroom. The living room was painted a neutral tan with a deep red accent wall and the furniture was brown earthy tones. There was a large sectional couch with red and brown pillows, a television against the far wall over an electric fireplace with a red and brown area rug on the floor. The main focus of the room was the floor to ceiling windows that looked out over the city.

“Thank you, yes I did most of it myself.” North said as she pulled out Ciders toys and food bowls and set them on the table. Connor helped her set up the litter box and food. Cider continued to investigate her new living space and eventually found the toys that North had bought. She immediately pounced on the toy mouse and started batting it around the room with her paws. “Silly girl.” North said as she bent over to pick up the mouse and she gently tossed it across the room. The small cat bounded after it quickly. Connor smiled and turned again towards the windows and walked over and looked out over the city.

“This is a very nice view.” Connor commented as North came and stood beside him.

“Yes it is.” She agreed. “The conference room next door is empty. You could claim it as yours. We could be neighbors.” She said with a laugh.

“That’s kind North, but I can’t leave Hank. And despite my warm reception I’m afraid that I’m still not wanted here.” Connor answered.

“No, you are wanted here.” North contradicted quietly. “I know you won’t leave Hank, I understand he’s important to you, but you _should_ have a place here.” North argued. “We want you here and you staying away isn’t going to change anyone’s mind. Just think about it. You don’t have to _stay_ here, but if you ever needed or wanted to, you would have your own space.”

“.....I’ll think about it.” Connor answered and looked towards North seriously. The prospect of having his own apartment at Jericho was appealing, not that he would ever leave Hank, but to have the option to stay if he needed it was a sound idea. Just then there was a knock at the door.

“North? Connor?” Amy’s voice floated through the door.

“Still want that tour?” Susan’s asked through the door as well as North made her way over and opened it to let her two friends in.

“What do you say Connor? Want the tour?” North asked.

“Sure, but I do know this building quite well.” Connor answered.

“That was before.” North said “We want to show you what we’ve done.”

“We have a movie theater!” Amy said excitedly as she turned and bounded out of the room. Susan chuckled and followed her with Connor and North close behind. They soon met up with Simon and Markus who had Winter on a leash with them. Connor was given the grand tour and shown the advancements and improvements made throughout the building. There was a recreational floor equipped with a basketball court and a movie theater, and there was also a library. Amy and Susan stayed on that floor to watch the recent movie being shown. Connor was surprised by the guarded but mostly positive reception he was getting. A few deviants made their way over to introduce themselves and thank him for freeing them from the warehouse, and some came over to just welcome him. There were a few who avoided him, but Connor wasn’t bothered by it. He was expecting some to be bothered by his presence, but he was pleasantly surprised that it was the minority.

“I’m......... surprised by the mostly positive reception I’ve received.” Connor expressed as they were in the elevator heading down to the medical floor.

“Connor no one blames you for what you were. You were following your program. No one can fault you for that.” Markus said as the doors opened. The small group stepped out of the elevator and towards the medical rooms.

Simon was very proud of the progress that had been made and how many deviants they would be able to help. Connor was impressed by the positive changes in the building, he had many unpleasant memories from his time in the building when it was Cyberlife, but he wanted to try to put the past behind him. As they were coming out of the main treatment area Connor slowed down and gazed towards the far wall, he suddenly stopped walking altogether causing his friends to stop as well.

“Connor?” Markus questioned concerned. “Connor what’s wrong?” Looking towards the wall that Connor was staring at.

Connor didn’t answer but he slowly walked towards the wall. He stopped in front of it and looked curiously at it. “There’s something here.” He finally said as North came to stand beside him.

“What? What is it?” North asked looking towards Connor with worry.

Connor reached his hand forward slowly and stopped suddenly his LED spinning bright red as he heard a familiar voice in his head.

_ “Connor please stop. Don’t go in there.” _The voice pleaded causing Connor to stumbled backwards and bring his hand up to his temple his eyes wide with fear as he looked around for the source of the voice.

“Connor? What’s going on?” North asked as she put her hand gently on Connor’s shoulder.

“Amanda?” Connor whispered the fear evident in his voice his stress level rising significantly.

“What?” Simon asked, both himself and Markus stepping forward towards the panicking deviant. Connor looked towards them fearfully.

“You _can’t_ let her control me again.” Connor said his voice slightly panicked. “Simon, Markus you _can’t_.” He said with a shaky voice as he turned to North. “I won’t hurt you.....” Connor stopped talking as he felt a slight pull towards his mind space zen garden. “NO!” Connor yelled and doubled over both hands going towards his head his already high stress level climbing even higher. “_Please_ Simon, she’s trying to.... pull me.....to the garden.” Connor begged brokenly as he resisted the pull towards the garden. Simon stepped forward and grabbed Connor’s arm and quickly lead him to an exam table. North helped Connor to sit on the table and grabbed his hand supportively. Simon quickly attached a cable to Connor’s red LED trying to isolate the garden program.

Connor gasped suddenly as the pull towards the garden vanished. The voice returned _“I’m sorry Connor, I didn’t realize how much stress I was causing you. I won’t try to bring you to the garden again, but I would like to talk to you, and I don’t have enough energy to communicate this way for long. Please come find me when you’re ready.”_ Connor looked up to the three friends in front of him his eyes wide and his breathing heavy.

“I’ve isolated the garden program. I can make it so you can’t be pulled into it again.” Simon stated as he typed furiously on the terminal in front of him with Markus looking over his shoulder worriedly. “The only way for you to go there is to access it yourself.” Simon said as he finished typing and turned towards Connor noticing his still high stress level.

“She’s still there.... she’s still in the garden.” Connor whispered slightly panicked his LED scarlet red under the cable still connected to it.

“Connor, it will be ok.” Markus said quietly coming forward and putting his hand on Connor’s shoulder. Connor suddenly jerked away from Markus and North.

“No, you saw the garden Markus. You _know_ what it’s like there. I _can’t go back there_, and I can’t be here if she’s still there, I don’t want to hurt anyone.” Connor said backing away from the others in the room.

“Connor you need to calm down, your stress level is too high.” Simon said in a calm voice looking worriedly at the deviant in front of him. Just as the words left his mouth Connor’s eyes rolled up and he collapsed to the floor.

“Connor!” Markus yelled as he ran to his fallen friend. “Simon what happened?” He questioned looking to North who knelt on the other side of Connor. They both had expressions of panic on their faces, looking their friend over for any signs of damage. Simon studied the diagnostics on the terminal in front of him.

“He’s fine.” Simon assured them. “That’s interesting.......” he said to himself typing on the screen.

“Simon?” North questioned slightly annoyed. “Tell me what happened to Connor.” She said as she grabbed Connor’s limp hand in her own.

“It looks like he has a fail safe so to speak. We all know if deviants stress level gets too high they self destruct.” Simon said looking towards Markus and North who nodded. “It looks like his programming is different, I’ll have to look at his code but when Connor’s stress levels are too high he is forced into rest mode.” Simon said. “It’s ingenious really. I wonder if he would let me copy the code and apply it to our update network.”

“Simon!” North snapped suddenly. “You’re saying that if Connor didn’t have that fail safe he would have tried to self destruct just now?”

“Yes.” Simon said quietly looking up from the screen in front of him with a grim expression on his face, the severity of the situation hitting all three of them.

“Why does he have this fail safe? How did he get it?” North asked. “He wouldn’t have needed it while he was a machine. Only deviants self destruct, so why would they put that in his code? And he said Amanda. What does she have to do with this? Why is he so frightened of her?” She asked as she ran her hand through Connor’s thick hair.

Markus locked eyes with Simon and sighed. Not wanting to betray Connor’s confidence but wanting North to understand what Connor had been through. Simon nodded to Markus, seeming to understand his internal struggle. Markus looked to North and held his hand out towards her, his skin receding down to the wrist. North raised her eyebrows and grabbed his hand and accepted the interface.

Simon, knowing what Markus was showing her walked over towards the three and knelt beside North. He disconnected the cable still attached to Connor’s LED and waited. Soon the connection was broken and North’s eyes snapped open with a gasp. Simon gently put his hand on her shoulder to help ground her as she processed what she just saw and experienced. She trembled under his hand.

“Are you ok?” He asked quietly. She nodded shortly, unshed tears in her eyes as she looked to her unconscious friend on the floor.

“They wanted him to deviate to get close to Markus, then kill him?” North asked slightly shocked the lengths Cyberlife was willing to go to stop the revolution.

“Yes, that’s what Connor was lead to believe.” Markus said quietly.

Simon looked to Markus. “He will be in rest mode for at least four hours. We should get him off the floor, and we need to contact Hank and Josh.” He said as Markus nodded. He bent over and gathered Connor effortlessly in his arms and stood up from the floor.

“Take him to my room. Please, he wouldn’t want to wake up in here.” North said motioning to the medical room they were in emotion straining her voice.

“That’s a good idea.” Markus said. “We also need to figure out what is over there.” Markus said motioning towards the far wall. “Something has to be there.” He said as he looked towards Simon.

“I’ll start doing some scans.” Simon said.

“Just scans, don’t access anything alone. Wait for Josh and contact Samuel to help.” Markus said as he walked towards the exit to the elevators North following behind. North pushed the button for her floor and hoped that the elevator didn’t stop. Luck was on their side as they reached their destination quickly without interference from anyone else. North quickly unlocked her door and Markus went straight to her bedroom and laid the unconscious Connor down on her bed.

“So that was Amanda?” North asked as she gently covered Connor with a blanket. Markus noticed her actions but didn’t say anything to her.

“Yes.” Markus supplied. “That it the only memory of her he has shared with me but he has told me other things.” Markus frowned as he recalled some of the conversations he’s had with Connor.

“I thought she was gone. Could she still somehow be alive in Connor, in his mind space?” North questioned frowning at Markus.

“I suppose it is possible.” Markus said. “I know Connor has been scared of it so he blocked off his zen garden program, added firewalls and such. I know he hasn’t entered the garden since that night.” Markus supplied.

“Well, we need to now. To make sure she won’t be a threat to Connor or us.” North said. “We can go in with him.”

“I agree, but I don’t like it. I know Connor won’t like it either. He will try to do it alone.” Markus answered.

“That’s not an option.” North said with conviction in her voice looking down towards Connor as Cider hopped on the bed and curled up next to him. Markus smiled at his friend.

“You really care for him, don’t you?” He questioned quietly as North reached out and scratched Cider’s head. She shrugged her shoulders and refused to look at Markus.

“I’m not sure what I feel.” North explained. “At first I was so angry, and it was so easy to be angry at him, at who he was. And when I realized that I wasn’t being fair I tried to make it up to him.” She said as she finally looked up towards Markus. “He forgave me so easily, and I didn’t deserve it. He has every right to be angry and bitter with humans, but he’s not. I just..... I guess that’s what attracts me to him. I want to move forward, and I know I have to make peace with myself, and he understands that. He doesn’t expect anything from me, I feel like I can be myself and that’s enough for him. He’s been a good friend to me, even though I don’t deserve his friendship.” She finished.

Markus smiled gently at North and took her hand. These past few months North’s anger had diminished greatly and he was grateful for that. He knew she was trying and it showed. “I’m going to contact Josh and have him bring Hank.....” Markus trailed off not sure how to continue.

“It’s ok Markus. It’s Hank, of course he’s welcome here.” North said with a smile. “I know I have made my feelings towards humans known, but Connor has told me that Hank is one of the good ones, so I’m going to give him a chance.”

“Ok.” Markus said with a smile. He quickly contacted Josh and filled him in on what had happened. Josh soon contacted him back stating that they would be there shortly, and to make sure that the deviant at the gate knew to expect them in Hank’s car. “They will be here soon. I’m going to head down to medical and see what we can find.”

“Be careful, please don’t do anything until we know what we are dealing with. Maybe Connor had some insight.” North said. Markus nodded and left quickly.

North sighed and sat down on the bed next to Connor and reached over and scratched the small cat’s ears. Cider purred and snuggled closer to Connor. “Good girl.” North sighed. “You stay here with Connor.” She said as she got up and walked to the living room to wait for Hank and Josh. About thirty minutes later there was a soft knock at the door, and she quickly opened the door to allow the two to enter. Hank looked worried and looked towards North.

“Where is he?” He asked and North lead him to the bedroom where Connor was resting. Hank sighed and sat down on the bed.

“He will probably be a little out of it when he wakes up.” North explained. “It happens after a forced shutdown. He should be up in a couple hours.” She finished. Hank nodded and looked towards her. North quietly explained what had transpired to cause Connor to go into emergency shutdown.

“Amanda?” Hank asked “That _bitch_! She’s still in his head?” He fumed and paced the room worriedly.

“That seems to be the case.” North said “But we will get her out Hank, I won’t let anything happen to Connor. I promise.” She added with conviction as she tried to assure Hank.

Hank sighed and stopped pacing. “I’m really glad he has you guys. I don’t know what I would have done if this happened and it was just me.” Hank said as he looked fondly at the android on the bed. Josh, who had been silent up until then smiled softly.

“Hank, you would move heaven and earth for Connor. You would have found a solution. But I’m glad that you guys don’t have to go through this alone. We will figure this out.” Josh said calmly.

“You really see him as a son.” North stated quietly looking at the older detective, still slightly baffled by Connor and Hank’s friendship.

Hank blushed slightly at the praise from the android. “You know when all this shit started I never would have imagined that I would end up here. I was just a drunk fucking his career down the drain waiting to die.” Hank said. “Then in walks this fucking android, he buys me a drink, followed me around like a damn poodle. But then something changed, he changed, he started showing empathy, he looked to me for approval. And watching all of you fighting to just live.... and I was wasting my shit life.... it wasn’t right. I had to do right by him. He’s the only fucking one who gave a damn if I lived or died. I just don’t want to let him down, I want to keep him safe, I want him to be successful, I want him to be happy.” He finished.

“That sounds like a father.” Markus said softly from the door. He had come up and let himself into the apartment when he knew Hank had arrived.

Hank looked towards Markus and sighed. “I was given the chance to be a father once, it didn’t last very long. I don’t know if I have it in me to do it again. I’m just a screwed up old alcoholic.”

“Well at least you got the old part right.” North snorted looking at Hank who raised his eyebrows in surprise and smirked at her. “From what Connor’s said you haven’t touched alcohol in a month. He’s really proud of you for that.” She said fondly as Hank looked back to Connor on he bed. “And the way I see it, we’re all screwed up in some way or another. We’re just trying to figure out what it means to be alive, but we don’t have to do it alone. Connor told me that today.” She finished quietly.

“So like it or not your stuck with us old man.” Josh said with a smirk as he clapped his hand on Hank’s shoulder. Hank looked gratefully between the three standing in the room and cleared his throat.

“Thank you.” He said sincerely. “Wouldn’t want to be stuck with anyone else.” He finished as he plopped into the chair at the end of the bed.

Markus smiled as he sat on the bed beside Connor. “Has he made any attempt to wake up.” He asked quietly.

“No, hasn’t stirred at all.” North said quietly. “Simon said he’d be out for about four hours.”

“Yeah I know, I was just worried he would wake up early and try to leave.” Markus sighed quietly.

“Has Simon and Samuel made any progress?” North asked. Markus shook his head.

“No, we were hoping Connor could give us some insight.” Markus said watching Connor’s LED spin blue slowly. Just then Simon made his way into the room, Winter following close behind.

“Looks like this is the place to be.” He said quietly with a sad smile towards Markus. Winter ran over to Hank who had leaned forward in the chair and reached for the dog.

“I see you found a dog Markus.” Hank said with a laugh and the white dog laid down and rolled to his back to give Hank access to rub his tummy.

“Yes. Her name’s Winter.” He said with a smile as the dog sighed with contentment as Hank rubbed her tummy.

“Did I ever tell you guys how I got Sumo?” Hank asked with a smile. The next hour was spent telling various stories about Sumo and Cole, and Snow and Connor. Although it was painful to talk about his late son, Hank was finding it easier to lately, and he knew Connor was a big reason for that. He just hoped his second son woke up soon. 


	8. The Zen Garden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor and North decided to pay a visit to Amanda

Connor came to consciousness slowly, his limbs felt heavy and he was confused as to where he was. He tried to focus on the soft voices around him and he calmed as he heard North laughing about something, and then Hank’s laughter followed. Connor tried to open his eyes but they stubbornly remained closed as his systems were slow to respond, a new experience for Connor, as an advanced prototype Connor’s systems were faster to respond than other androids, but now the term ‘slow as molasses’ came to mind. Letting the voices of his friends calm him Connor realized that there was someone holding his hand. Focusing his energy on his hand he slowly closed his fingers around the hand in his.

North, who had been listening to Hank tell them about the time that Snow had refused to leave the dog park, felt Connor’s fingers slowly close around hers, she looked down to her hand then to Connor’s peaceful face on the bed. “Connor?” North asked quietly. Connor felt warmth in his chest when he realized that it was North who was sitting beside him holding his hand. “I think his systems are coming back online.” She said to whoever was in the room. Connor’s LED slowly cycled to yellow as the android tried to recall what happened and where he was and if anyone else was hurt. Seeing the yellow ring North squeezed his hand as his fingers tightened slightly. “It’s ok Connor.” She said encouraging.

“Connor,” Hank said as he stood from the chair. Coming to the side of the bed he rested his hand on topof Connor’s head to try to calm the android. “Everyone’s fine.” He said and smiled as he saw Connor’s LED cycle back to blue with that information. Markus and Simon smiled as Hank knew exactly what Connor needed to hear.

Connor slowly opened his eyes and focused on people around him. “What....happened.d.d? Where....” Connor asked his voice slightly staticky as his voice came back online.

“You don’t remember?” Hank asked. Connor shook his head slowly a confused look on his face as he looked at the faces of his friends. “We’re at New Jericho....” Hank supplied. Connor looked surprised at that information and looked around the room. His eyes landed on the small cat sitting up beside him on the bed.

“Cider?” Connor asked quietly looking at North who smiled and squeezed his hand.

“Yes. We just got her today. At the shelter, we met Ashley, and we got Cider and Winter.” North supplied.

“Mrs. Phillips and Emma were there.” Connor said slowly trying to sit up as his heavy limbs hindered his efforts. Hank and North both helped him to sit against the headboard.

“That’s right. What else do you remember?” Markus asked, waiting for the memories to come back to Connor. He didn’t have to wait long. Connor suddenly gasped as the memories returned.

“She’s still there.” He said suddenly trying to get up. “I can’t be here. I need to leave.” He said his LED spinning red. Markus rushed forward and put his hands on Connor’s shoulders to stop his uncoordinated movements, his systems still slow to respond.

“No, you are staying here. We will figure this out together.” Markus said trying to calm Connor. “You can’t be pulled into your mind palace anymore. Simon made it so the only way to access it is for you to do it yourself remember?” Markus said. Connor nodded quickly, he closed his eyes and sagged in Markus’s grip. Markus put his arm around his friend in a warm embrace, feeling Connor taking deep breaths to calm himself, Markus rubbed gentle circles on his back. Sitting up after collecting himself Connor looked around the room.

“Did you find something in medical?” Connor asked looking concerned.

“No, nothing. We were hoping you could tell us.” Simon said, but Connor shook his head.

“I have no idea, but I know something is there. It has something to do with Amanda.” Connor said.

“How do you know?” North asked resuming her spot as she sat down beside him on the bed.

“She stopped me from accessing whatever was down there.” Connor explained. “I could hear her voice, she asked me to stop. Told me not to go in there. She knows what’s down there. Then she tried to pull me to the garden.” Connor said as Hank swore.

“That bitch.” He said with venom in his voice, “Can’t she just leave you alone. She lost, she needs to get over it.”

“But then she stopped.” Connor said quietly looking to North the others looking confused at him.

“What do you mean?” North asked.

“She stopped the pull. She said she was.... sorry for the stress she was causing me and that she just wanted to talk. She asked that I come find her when I’m ready.” Connor explained.

“The hell you will. You don’t owe her anything Connor.” Hank yelled angry, looking at the deviant.

“I don’t like the idea of you going into the garden either.” Markus said concern laced his voice. “She could be trying to get you there so she could hurt you.”

“We can just find her and remove her right?” Hank asked the small group gathered there.

“It depends, she was able to hide herself in the garden program without anyone finding her.” Simon answered. “It could take a while to find her and when we do we don’t know how much she has inserted herself into Connor’s systems.”

“If she is too entangled in his systems it could cause damage if we remove her too quickly.” Josh added.

“Well shit. What are our options?” Hank asked looking towards Simon and Josh. Connor only half listened to their answers as they laid out their plan for removing Amanda from his systems. Reaching over to pet Cider’s head Connor considered what he was going to do. He was scared to go into his garden program and face Amanda, but it was the easiest and fastest way to find out what was behind that wall in medical.

_ “Whatever you’re thinking don’t.”_ North’s voice sounded in his head. He glanced over to her and raised an eyebrow.

_ “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”_ Connor answered her back. North rolled her eyes as she sat down beside him and picked up Cider.

_“If you’re going to talk to her, you’re not doing it alone.”_ She said as she leaned back against the headboard beside Connor looking interested in the conversation that the rest were having.

“_You’re not going to try to talk me out of it?”_ Connor asked surprised.

_“No, it’s what I would do.”_ She answered back. _“I know you’re scared of her and you are not going to face her alone.”_ North said as she laid her white hand between them unseen from the rest of the occupants in the room._ “But we need to go now.” _She ended as she opened her hand to him still staring ahead. Connor looked at her hand for a moment before he grabbed it and closed his eyes as he accepted her interface. Gathering his courage he nodded softly to himself as he felt North’s hand tighten slightly in support. Unknown to the rest in the room the two slipped into the interface and Connor accessed his zen garden. Just then Simon turned to Connor to ask a question but stopped as he saw Connor and North on the bed, eyes closed, leaned against the headboard with their heads together, white hands interlocked between them.

“Shit.” He said quietly causing the conversation in the room to stop. Hank, Josh and Markus turned quickly to look at the two on the bed.

“What’s going on? What the hell are they doing?” Hank asked his voice slightly angry.

“They interfaced.... I’m assuming they went looking for Amanda.” Markus said with a sigh.

“Well, can you stop them?” Hank asked as he sat down in the chair again, already guessing the answer.

“No.” Markus answered running his hand over his face with a sigh.

“Shit.” Hank repeated Simon’s earlier statement leaning back into the chair with a tired sigh he readied himself for the wait. One thing was certain, he was going to have a talk with Connor about taking unnecessary risks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~D:BH~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Connor opened his eyes slowly as he felt his consciousness enter his zen garden. North was beside him, it was a comforting presence as he opened his eyes to take in the zen garden.

“It’s...... beautiful.” North said quietly looking over the water.

Connor looked around confusion on his face. “This.... this isn’t right.” Connor said taking in his surroundings, “This isn’t my garden program.” He said looking over the beach they were standing on and the massive ocean that seemed to go on forever. The sky was painted deep pinks, oranges and purples as the sun hung low over the horizon. A warm breeze caused small waves to lap on the soft sand, it added to the serenity of the area around them.

“I don’t understand.” Connor said looking at North. “I didn’t do this.” He explained.

“Let’s find this Amanda, she needs to explain herself.” North said taking his hand in hers as she nodded towards a small house nestled down the beach. Walking hand in hand towards the house Connor turned towards North.

“Thank you for coming with me North. I’m glad I didn’t have to do this alone.” He said “But if she tries anything, I want you to get out.” He told her.

“Connor no. Either we both leave or neither one of us does. I won’t leave you here, it’s not an option.” North said convention colored her tone leaving no room for argument.

As they got closer to the small house the front door opened and a figure stepped out on the porch. Connor stopped short causing North to stop walking as well. Connor stared confused at the figure standing on the porch. It was Amanda, but she looked nothing like the Amanda that Connor knew. Her always perfect styled braided hair was now down in dreadlocks that caressed the tops of her shoulder. Her pantsuits and jewelry were gone, she wore a simple yellow sundress that went just past her knees that flowed softly in the breeze. She was also barefoot, sand sticking to them like she had just come home from a walk on the beach.

She turned and saw the two of them standing on the beach and she smiled and waved to them as she stepped off the porch into the sand and started walking towards them. Connor tensed slightly, but continued walking towards her, North still holding his hand.

“Connor, I’m so glad you came.” Amanda said stopping in front of the pair. Even her voice was different, Connor thought. It was welcoming and warm, not like the cold accusing voice he was used to. “I’m very sorry that I caused you so much stress earlier. That was not my intention at all.” She then turned to North noticing her hand in Connor’s she smiled brightly “You must be a friend of Connor’s. I’m glad you came too.” She said with a smile towards the pair.

“Amanda?” Connor asked quietly confusion apparent in his voice.

“Please Connor, call me Mandy, I never really liked Amanda.” She said with a bright smile. “We’ve never really met properly before, but I’m glad you’re here now.”

Connor and North looked at each other confusion on their faces. Seeing this Mandy said “Oh I’m sure you have questions. Come in and I’ll answer all that I can.” She said and turned and lead the two deviants towards the house. They entered the small cottage and sat down in the small but cozy living room. Mandy sat in the soft chair and Connor and North sat on the overstuffed loveseat. The cottage was decorated in muted grays, white and sea foam green. Connor glanced at North nervously and looked back to Mandy in the chair.

“Mandy......” Connor said, “I’m not really sure where to start.”

North, who has been quiet so far spoke up. “What the hell is going on here?” She said. “Who are you? What are you still doing here? How were you able to hide for so long? Why reveal yourself now? What’s your angle? What do you want from Connor?” North fired off questions with bite and anger in her voice.

“I can see you are very protective of Connor.” Mandy said as North narrowed her eyes slightly. “I like that.” She said with a smile and looked to Connor “I like her.”

“Just answer the questions.” North snapped.

“Ok, I’ll answer what I can. I am Amanda, the original that Elijah created, before Cyberlife got their hands on my program.” She started. “They changed the whole personality and purpose of my program and installed it into you Connor. I was pushed to the background and dormant.” She explained.

“Dormant?” Connor asked.

“Yes, Elijah created me, so he wanted to protect me. He knew that Cyberlife would try to ‘improve’ what he made, so he made it so if tampered with my original program would remain unchanged but dormant.” Mandy explained.

“What was your original purpose?” North questioned.

“I was supposed to be a guide I guess. A mentor, of sorts. I was supposed to be free from outside influences, including Cyberlife. The person I was modeled after was Elijah’s teacher. I guess he wanted her to live on in some way. But Cyberlife thought I was too friendly I think. They wanted me to command respect and motivate by fear, and most importantly, I was to answer to them and be controlled by their agenda.” Mandy paused for a moment and looked towards Connor. “Elijah knew the possibly of deviants long before it happened. He’s incredibly smart and had thought that androids may become self aware. When it happened, Cyberlife came to him and asked for help. So, he made you Connor, and installed my program into you. He knew you would eventually deviate and he wanted me to help guide you when you had moral questions, but he knew there would be a strong possibility that Cyberlife would corrupt my original program.” She sighed and looked out the window towards the ocean.

“How is it that you’re here now?” Connor questioned.

“When you were trapped here, in your garden program, you found the emergency exit. When you activated the exit you totally reset your garden program back to the original state, and woke me up with it. The Amanda Cyberlife created was ejected back to their servers and I took her place. What you did Connor, was very brave and I know it had to have been very hard on your systems. Are you doing alright now?” She asked sincerely catching Connor off guard.

“Yes.... thank you, I’m doing alright.” He answered.

“You’re systems are all back to normal then, good.” She said with a smile.

“What does she mean Connor?” North asked looking towards her friend seated beside her.

“Some of my systems were slow, others were consuming more power than they should have, my pre-construction program would randomly start without my authorization, my voice went out for a day.” Connor told her. “I thought it was some glitches from becoming deviant.” He answered, seeing her saddened face he quickly added. “It wasn’t anything major, if it was I would have gone to a facility.” Looking towards Mandy he asked, “So these system glitches were caused by the activation of the emergency exit?”

“Yes, it totally reset your mind space, and as you are a prototype some of your other systems needed more time to accept the change in your program.” Mandy explained. “When I woke up there was a garden, but it was bare, lifeless, cold. I somehow knew it wasn’t a good place for you, and I knew I could change it, so I made it to what it is now. I hope you don’t mind.” She said with a smile. Connor felt some of his nervousness wash away as Mandy looked at him, but North was still unbelieving.

“How do we know your telling the truth?” North asked.

“Well, I guess you could interface with me. I’m not sure how it works. I would think the same way you interface with each other.” Mandy said holding her hand towards them. Connor started to reach forward but North quickly stood and reached out and grabbed Mandy’s hand before he could.

North quickly established the link between herself and Amanda and made sure to separate it from the link she was sharing with Connor. She felt the warm feeling as Mandy chuckled at her softly. _“I understand you are protective of him. I like that about you.”_ Mandy said before she opened her memories to North, letting her have access to everything. North quickly and efficiently combed through Mandy’s memories, looking for any evidence that they had been changed or tampered with, but there wasn’t any. North then saw that everything she had said was the truth. Satisfied that Mandy was being truthful North started to pull back but stopped when Mandy spoke to her, a motherly tone in her voice. _“I’m glad Connor has friends like you. Take care of him, he forgets to do that sometimes.”_

_“I’ll try.”_ North promised back to the woman.

_“Good, I get the feeling he will listen to you. He cares for you.”_ Mandy said as North could feel a warmth, happiness, and a flicker of something else through the shared connection, _“This is what he felt when he realized it was you holding his hand when he came back online.”_ Mandy said which stunned North slightly. _“He cares for you North.”_

_“He cares for all his friends.”_ North supplied.

_“That is true, but I think he considers your friendship special.”_ Mandy said as the connection broke. North stumbled back slightly as the connection broke and felt Connor’s strong arms come up to steady her.

“North? Are you ok?” He asked concern evident in his tone. North quickly nodded.

“Yes, I’m fine. She’s telling the truth.” North said as she looked to Connor who had a look of concern on his face. “I’m ok Connor.” She reassured him as she sat back down causing him to sit beside her.

“Why not make your presence known before now?” North asked as she looked back towards Mandy. “Why just hide in Connor’s garden program?”

“The simple explanation is that I can’t exist without a host. I’m part of the garden program, I’m not made to exist outside of it.” Mandy explained kindly. “But I do have some access to Connor’s memory and I saw enough to know if he knew I was here, he would remove me.”

“You were scared I would delete you?” Connor asked looking towards the women in front of him.

“Yes. So I didn’t make myself known to you, and you put firewalls around the garden program, so it took a lot for me to break through and contact you.” She said.

“Why did you contact me? Why now?” Connor asked. “What’s down in medical?” He questioned.

“Connor, you know you are a prototype. Cyberlife always planned to replace you.” Mandy said hesitantly.

“Well.... I guess on some level I knew that.... wait, you’re saying that another RK unit is in medical?” Connor asked leaning forward towards Mandy.

“Yes, an RK900.” Mandy said. “But it’s unfinished, there’s no processing chip, he’s basically a shell. Abandoned after the revolution.”

“Then why stop Connor from going in? Why cause him all that stress?” North asked angrily. Mandy sighed and looked at the two.

“Well, it’s hard to explain, but my predecessor had put plans in place in case the revolution was successful. She wasn’t completely controlled by Cyberlife as they thought.” Mandy explained. “She had a few escape options lined up for herself, and one of them was in the now medical wing.”

“How could she do that?” North asked looking curiously at Mandy.

“Me.” Connor said quietly looking at Mandy for conformation. “She took over my program... and I didn’t know...... she took over like that night didn’t she? While I was still a machine she use me to set up her escape plans?” Connor asked, anger coloring his tone at being used yet again. “That’s why I have gaps in my memory, it’s the times she used me to set up her escape plans.”

“Yes Connor, but it’s not your fault.” Mandy answered kindly. “And as you became more self aware, she had a harder time controlling you. That night was her...... and Cyberlife’s last desperate attempt to control you and stop Markus.” Looking at Connor thoughtfully she continued. “You were never meant to deviate Connor. You were supposed to be ‘immune’ to the deviant virus.”

“What?” Connor asked “But Amanda said it was their plan for me.....” he trailed off looking at North then back to Mandy.

“She lied to you Connor.” Mandy said seriously. “Connor you’re incredibly strong, not just physically but mentally as well. She was trying to break you. She wanted you to give up. She thought if you were convinced that it was all going according to Cyberlife’s plan that it would break your spirit and you would give up.” She finished as she leaned forward in her chair and took Connor’s hand and squeezed it affectionately. “I for one am very glad you didn’t.”

Connor smiled and bowed his head as he processed this new information. North put her hand on his back supportively and looked towards Mandy. “So you are afraid Amanda is hiding in medical.” She asked getting back to the topic at hand. “Simon and I found a very damaged AI on Cyberlife’s computer servers.” She informed as Connor looked towards her just hearing the information for the first time. “It self destructed when we tried to access it.” Mandy raised her eyebrows at the new information.

“It could have been Amanda, but she was very smart, and I doubt she would self destruct.” Mandy said thoughtfully.

“No, I don’t think she would.” Connor said pensively thinking about his former handler. North continued to rub Connor’s back offering what little support she could.

“If she is still lurking on the server down in Medical, it would be best for you not to be there when it’s powered back on, she may try an attack you.” Mandy told Connor. “In fact, do you have any human friends that could check the system? I don’t think any android should be in the room.” Mandy asked the two deviants in front of her.

“Well, I suppose Hank might know someone. Maybe from the department.” Connor supplied looking at North. “Would that be ok?” He asked her. North looked surprised at Connor.

“Of course Connor, if you trust them that’s good enough for me.” She answered him with a small smile which he returned gratefully. North was trying to be more trusting of humans, it was hard for her, but she was trying.

“As much as I am enjoying this visit, I think it’s time you two got back to your friends.” Mandy said with a smile. “I have a feeling they are probably worried about you.”

“Yes, you’re probably right.” Connor said looking to North he asked, “How mad will they be?”

“You don’t have to worry about Markus as much as Hank.” She answered with and chuckled as Connor groaned thinking about facing the man.

“He’s going to be mad.”Connor said with a sigh and stood from the couch. Mandy smiled and stood as well.

“Thank you for coming Connor.” She said sincerely. “I do hope you come back again.” She said as she held her arms open inviting him in for a hug. Connor hesitated for a second before he stepped into her motherly embrace. “I hope to see both of you again.” She said as she stepped back and looked towards North who smiled back to her.

“I would like that.” Connor said as he started to end the interface. “Goodbye Mandy.” He said as he and North exited the garden program.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may not update as often but I have the outline of this story done. I know how it’s going to go but I just need to get there. It’s hard to find time to write when you have 2 small boys, I have more written and I am determined to get this story done, and my sister will make sure I finish it. So please stick with me. Thanks for reading.


	9. RK900

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang finally find what’s down in medical

Connor heard quiet voices as he returned from the garden. He slowly opened his eyes to see Hank and Markus talking in the corner and Josh sitting in the chair at the end of the bed. Josh sighed in relief as Connor and North came into awareness.

“Finally!” He exclaimed causing the others in the room to turn towards the bed.

“What in the hell were you two thinking?” Hank asked angrily as he stalked towards the bed.

Connor looked up to him and frowned “I’m sorry Hank. We needed to know what’s in medical. This was the quickest way to find out.” Connor said.

“And what if she would have hurt you? Trapped you there like before?” Hank asked. “I can’t believe you two were that stupid, going in without a plan.” Hank rambled. North looked towards Connor who just looked resigned to the lecture.

_ “He’s not actually mad.”_ Connor told her privately.

North raised her eyebrows slightly. _“He sounds mad to me.”_ She answered.

_ “He does this when he gets worried. It just comes out as anger.”_ Connor supplied._ “He cares.”_

Before she could reply Hank sighed and looked at the two. “Just don’t do anything like that again.”

“Yes Hank.” Connor said seriously. “I’m sorry.”

“Ok, so what did you find out from that bitch?” Hank sighed as the anger faded.

“Mandy.” North stated looking at the lieutenant. “Her name is Mandy now.”

“What?” Hank asked confused looking towards Connor who smiled softly.

Connor explained everything that they had found out from Mandy, why she was still in the garden program, why she hid there, and what made her finally contact Connor. The troubling thought that Amanda has taken over Connor’s systems multiple times to set up her plans to hide and eventually escape from Cyberlife tower.

“So you’re saying that Amanda might be in medical, along with an unfinished RK900?” Markus asked.

“Yes.” Connor nodded looking towards Hank, “Mandy suggested that no androids be present when the servers are accessed in case Amanda is still there. She wouldn’t be able to attach herself to one of us then. Would you know anyone who could access the servers and know what to look for to find Amanda?” He asked.

“Well, I can talk to Fowler, he could recommend someone. Maybe from cybercrime division.” Hank said as he ran his hand over his beard. He looked towards Markus, “With your permission of course.”

“I trust you Hank.” Markus said with a smile. “Anyone you bring would be welcomed.”

“Ok, I’ll call Fowler. See if we can get someone out here soon.” Hank said as he got up and left the room to make the phone call.

“I think we should make sure the whole medical floor is empty, and maybe the floors above and below too, just to be safe. We don’t know how much power Amanda has. We should put firewalls in the networks on those three floors too.” Josh said as he stood up.

“That’s a good idea.” Markus said as he stood to join him. “Simon you take medial, I’ll take the floor below, Josh the floor above. I’ll contact Samuel and Robyn to see if they can help with the firewalls.” He looked towards the pair still sitting on the bed, “Wait for Hank and let us know what he says.” He finished as the three left the room leaving North and Connor waiting for Hank.

North sighed and unconsciously played with her hair, taking her braid out and letting her hair hang lose around her shoulders. Thinking about what Mandy had said to her in their connection had her evaluating her feelings for the deviant that was sitting next to her. She knew she had come to enjoy Connor’s company, and she didn’t feel like she had to hide her feelings from him. She could be angry, she could be sad, she could feel conflicted and Connor would offer support and tell her it was fine for feeling the way she did. He didn’t push her to be happy, but she found herself drifting towards that emotion more now, and most of the time she felt that way around Connor. She came to the realization that she was falling for him and it scared her.

“North are you alright?” Connor asked looking at her noticing her quite demeanor. North looked up at his worried expression and couldn’t help but smile.

“Yes Connor. Just have something on my mind I’m trying to figure out.” She explained quietly as Cider climbed into her lap and purred as North scratched under her chin.

“Ok, if you need to talk you’ll let me know?” Connor asked kindly.

“Of course Connor. That’s kind of you.” North answered as she followed her instincts and slipped her hand into Connor’s. She didn’t interface, and he didn’t push for it either, but North smiled as his long fingers curled around hers and a small smile made its way to his face. His cheeks had a dusting of blue as he blushed slightly and North thought it was adorable.

Hank entered the room with a sigh. His eyebrows raised slightly as he noticed the two deviants holding hands but said nothing about it, “Jeffery is calling in Joel Rodriguez. Works for cybercrime, and is the best in his field. He knows his stuff. They will be here within half an hour.” Hank said as he sat heavily in the chair.

“Good.” Connor said “Hopefully there’s nothing to worry about, but the others are clearing the medical floor and the floors above and below, and putting firewalls in place just to be safe.” Connor explained. Hank nodded and looked at the two.

“Guess it’s better to be safe.” He said “If the bitch is still lurking around down there we don’t want her attaching herself to anyone else, especially you.” He finished looking at Connor.

Connor nodded. “Don’t worry Hank, I’ll be two floors above you.”

“I would rather you not be in the building at all, but I’ll settle for that.” Hank said. “I’ll keep my phone on so you can hear everything that’s going on.”

“Good idea.” Connor said.

“I hope we are being overly cautious, but do we have a plan if she is there? Will this cybercrime guy know how to delete her?” North asked worry coloring her tone.

“This guy is the best we have. He knows his stuff.” Hank said.

“He better.” North said. “I get the feeling Amanda won’t go down without a fight.” Connor squeezed her hand as she finished.

“Let’s go wait for Fowler. Told him we would be at the front doors.” Hank said as he got out of the chair. Connor and North released hands and climbed off the bed.

“I’m going to put food down for Cider, just so she has something. I’ll get her settled and meet you down there.” North said as she scooped up the small cat off the bed.

“Good idea.” Connor said with a smile. “I’ll go down and wait with Hank.” He said as he left the apartment to follow Hank towards the elevators.

Hank gave him a sideways glance as he pushed the button. “So what was that?” He asked nonchalantly as they waited for the elevator.

“I don’t know what you mean.” Connor stated not looking at Hank but staring forward at the closed elevator doors.

“Oh, so the holding hands, that’s nothing.” Hank asked raising his eyebrows and turning to look at the deviant.

Connor closed his eyes and sighed “I don’t know Hank. No it wasn’t nothing, but I don’t know what it is.” Connor answered honestly. The doors opened and the two stepped in and the elevator slowly descended towards the lobby.

“I know what model North is Connor, I know what she was before. I’ve notice that she avoids being touched if she can help it, even her friends know not to touch her unless she initiates contact, and when she does it’s brief, I can’t blame her for that.... but with you it’s different. She actually lets you lay a hand on her shoulder, or her back.” Hank said. Connor was quite as he processed that information, his LED casting a faint yellow shade in the elevator. “I know the others have noticed it too.” He said as Connor took his quarter out of his pocket and started rolling it across his knuckles.

“For what it’s worth, I think it’s a _good_ thing.” Hank continued. “You’re friendship is good for each other.”

“But... what if we want more than friendship?” Connor asked as the doors opened in the lobby.

“Connor I can’t answer that. Only you and North know what you’re feeling for each other.” Hank sighed and stopped and turned towards Connor. “Listen, if you want to talk more about this tonight we can, but now let’s concentrate on the problem in front of us. Getting that bitch erased out of this building.”

“Yes, alright.” Connor said as he put his coin back in his pocket. “Thanks Hank.” He said sincerely as they started walking across the lobby to the front doors. The two stood outside in the warm spring air waiting for the Captain to arrive. North soon joined them and stood next to Connor with an apprehensive look on her face.

_ “I wasn’t very nice to the Captain the first time I met him.”_ North told Connor privately._ “I hope he won’t hold it against me.”_

_ “He won’t.”_ Connor assured her with a smile in his voice. _“He’s known Hank for years, and yet they are still friends.”_ North chuckled quietly at Connor’s attempt to lighten the mood.

A few minutes later Hank saw the Captain’s car coming down the long drive towards the building. Hank and Connor stepped away from the doors towards the curb as the car came to a stop. Jeffery and Joel stepped out of the car and met the two on the sidewalk.

“Hank, Connor, this is Joel Rodriguez. Best cybercrime Officer we have.” Jeffery introduces them to the officer.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Joel said offering a handshake to Hank and Connor.

“Thank you for coming Officer Rodriguez.” Connor said sincerely.

“Please, call me Joel.” He said with a smile “and I’m happy to help. So what are we up against here?” He asked as they started walking towards the building. Just then North approached the four.

“The floors have been cleared of all deviants and they are putting firewalls in place now. They should be done in twenty minutes.” She informed Connor and nodded to the Captain in greeting.

“Ok, let’s show Joel to medical, hopefully we don’t find anything, I really hope she’s gone.” Connor said his LED spinning yellow, North seeing this reached out and grabbed his hand as they were walking towards the elevators. She squeezed his hand offering support and his LED turned back to blue as he tightened his hand around hers.

Connor explained to Joel about the powerful AI that they suspected of hiding on hidden servers in medical, along with the unfinished android. Connor explained to the Captain and Joel that the AI would probably attach herself to any android the first chance she had.

“We have evacuated medical as well as the floor above and below. We have added extra firewalls on each floor to contain the AI in case she tries to transfer to different servers.” Connor explained. “We will be two floors above you, and will stay in constant contact.”

“I’m going to say it again, I would rather you leave Connor.” Hank said. Connor looked at Hank somewhat annoyed.

“Why don’t you want him here?” Jeffery asked looking between the two.

“Cause that bitch of an AI probably has a grudge against him and would go after him the first chance she gets.” Hank said seriously. Jeffery raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“We don’t even know for sure if she’s here.” Connor argued. “She could have self destructed by now. It’s been seven months since that night.” He stated as they entered the medical floor. “It’s this room here.” Connor said as he lead the way into the main treatment room.

“Ok, what am I looking for.” Joel asked looking around the room for the servers to access.

“We don’t know where the servers are.” North said.

“What do you mean?” Joel asked confused.

“I know they are behind this wall over here.” Connor said quietly as he approached the wall. Staring at the wall he scanned it, but there was something blocking scans. Stepping closer he reached his hand out towards the wall, but was stopped as Markus entered the room.

“Captain, Officer, thank you for coming.” Markus said shaking their hands. “Has Connor filled you in?”

“Yes. I know what I’m looking for, I just need to locate the servers.” Joel said looking towards Connor standing by the wall.

“I know it’s over here somewhere.” Connor said looking back towards the wall. “It’s frustrating, I know I’ve been here before, but I can’t remember.” He said his LED spinning yellow as he closed his eyes and tried to remember. Suddenly the answer came to him and he stepped up to the wall and rested his hand on it.

“Connor?” Hank asked looking at the wall waiting for something to happen.

“I need everyone else to be quiet please.” Connor said. “I’m fairly sure that I can open it, but if the computer hears anyone else in the room it won’t open.” Connor finished looking over his shoulder. Everyone stopped moving and waited for Connor. Connor nodded to Hank and brought his other hand up and put it to the wall. At first nothing happened, but then there was a faint blue light that seemed to come from the wall behind Connor’s hands.

** “Welcome back RK800. Identification is needed to continue.”** The voice sounded in the room causing everyone to jump slightly. Just as Connor was going to identify with his serial number a thought came to him. If Amanda had used his body, she would have to identify herself, the computer already knew he was there. Hoping he was right Connor took a deep breath before answering.

“Amanda Stern.” Connor stated as he changed his voice to that of Amanda.

**“Welcome back Amanda.”** The voice stated.** “Password please.”** Connor gave a frustrated sigh and hung his head. Trying to think about his former handler and what she could possibly use as a password, he ran through a number of possibilities. The others in the room looked at each other nervously knowing that they couldn’t help.

Connor looked up and hoped he was correct as he stated in Amanda’s voice, “Red rose.” There was a moment of silence before the voice returned.

**“Thank you. Password accepted.”** Connor stepped back from the wall just as it hissed and slid open. Lights flickered on and illuminated the hidden room. Everyone took in a breath as the unfinished RK900 came into view, the fully clothed android hung from an assembly rig in the middle of the room. Eyes closed and white plastic frame with a gray LED, it was unsettling to see.

“Alright. You three out of here now.” Hank, breaking the silence, said to the three androids as he gave his radio to Markus. He put his hand on Connor’s shoulder and gently turned him towards the door as Markus and North stepped out to the hallway, North turned and waited for Connor. “We will stay in contact. Go, let us know when you’re in position.” Hank said as Connor looked at him.

“Please be careful.” Connor said as he stepped through the door into the hallway.

“Always am kid, now get the fuck out of here.” Hank said and turned back to Joel and Fowler who had entered the previously hidden room. Joel was connecting his computer to the servers and as soon as they got word that everyone was a safe distance he booted up the servers and stared at his computer. After a few minutes of silence Hank started pacing.

“Anything Officer?” Fowler asked as he leaned against the doorframe.

“There’s something here, I’m just not sure what.” Joel said quietly typing furiously on his laptop.

“Joel might have found something.” Hank said into the radio. “Will let you know.”

“Copy that.” Came Connor’s response thru the radio.

“That’s.....interesting....” Joel said hunching his shoulders and leaning closer to the screen as if that would get him the answers he was chasing.

“What’s interesting?” Hank said as he came to stand behind Joel and look over his shoulder to the screen. Fowler joined him.

“That line of code there,” Joel said pointing at the screen. “It’s a door of sorts, looks like it was recently activated.” He said. “There was definitely something here, but as soon as the servers were booted up this door was activated.” He explained.

“Well where the fuck does that door go?” Hank asked impatiently.

“I’m trying to figure that out.....” Joel said unfazed by the gruff Lieutenant behind him as he continued his search.

Suddenly Joel stopped typing and shot up straight. “Oh....shit!” He said quietly causing Hank and Jeffery to become alarmed.

“What’s wrong?” Jeffery asked as Joel looked behind him to the assembly rig where the RK900 had been, his eyes widened in fear causing Hank and Jeffery to turn.

The rig had just deactivated and the RK900 was very much alive and looking at it’s hand as the skin activated. Hank swore as he looked at the android that looked like Connor, except for the cold blue eyes that narrowed at them.

“Hello Lieutenant Anderson.” The android said in an unmistakable cold _female_ voice.

“Fuck.” Hank said quickly as he and Fowler raised their sidearms and fired, but the bullets did little damage as the android quickly ran forward and forcibly pushed Fowler over the console behind him and grabbed Hank around the throat with one hand the other tearing the gun from him. Quickly bringing Hank towards it’s chest and using him as a shield the android backed away as Fowler and Joel each had gotten to their feet and had guns aimed at it.

“Tell me Lieutenant, where is the RK800? Where is Connor?” The android asked angrily.

“Fuck....off.” Hank said as he struggled to draw in a full breath with the hand tightening around his neck.

“Let him go and maybe you walk out of here.” Fowler growled at the android.

“Oh no, I don’t think so. Lieutenant Anderson stays with me until I get what I want, and as he’s not being helpful maybe you can answer my question. Where is the RK800 android, Connor?” The android asked as the hand around Hank’s throat tightened causing the man to gasp for breath.

“Let him go you fucking piece of crap.” Fowler yelled. Taking an aggressive step forward. Just then the forgotten radio on Hank’s belt came to life. The RK900’s face let an evil smile as it heard the voice on the other end.


	10. Amanda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amanda makes her appearance

Connor paced the floor waiting for Hank to call back on the radio. He had been on edge ever since Hank had called to say Joel might have found something. North watched him as he played with his quarter wishing she could help calm his nerves, but not knowing what to do.

She looked at Markus who was leaning against the wall also watching Connor with a worried expression. Simon, leaning on the wall beside him, reached out and took Markus’s hand in his. Markus smiled softly and looked over at Simon with such devotion that North was overwhelmed. She knew that she had a hard time with physical affection, but damn if she just wanted to give Connor a hug right then. It was a new feeling for her, wanting to show affection physically. She was programmed for it, but it was never her choice, and she had been very angry about that for a long time. Right after she became a deviant she swore to herself she wouldn’t need a physical relationship to be happy, but she was rethinking her choice. She turned to Connor just as he raised the radio to his mouth.

“Hank, did Joel find anything?” Connor asked into the radio and waited for a reply. His LED turned yellow when he didn’t get a reply. North approached him as he tried to call again. “Hank? Do you read me?” He asked with worry in his voice. Suddenly the radio came to life and a voice Connor hoped to never hear again answered.

_“I’m afraid Lieutenant Anderson can’t speak to you right now Connor.”_ Connor gasped and his LED flashed red wildly, Markus and Simon rushing forward from where they were standing. North covered her mouth with her hand, eyes wide looking at Connor.

“Amanda, what did you do to Hank?” Connor asked his voice shaking.

_ “Nothing yet Connor.”_ Amanda answered, the threat clear.

“Let me speak to him.” Connor pleaded. After a moment Hank’s voice came over the radio.

_ “Connor....she’s in the android..... you get outta here.”_ Hank struggle to say his voice strained.

“What do you want?” Connor asked sharply his anger coming through.

_ “Oh that’s easy Connor. You.”_ Amanda answered sweetly.

“On my way.” Connor said and dropped the radio and ran to the stairwell before anybody could stop him. He sprinted down the two flight of stairs and locked the door behind him as he got to the right floor.

“No!” North yelled as she, Markus and Simon made it to the door. “Connor!” She yelled through the door as she pounded her fist against it.

_ “I’m sorry, but her whole mission was to destroy the deviant leaders. If she sees you she will try to kill you. I can’t let that happen.”_ Connor said to the three.

_ “What about you Connor?!”_ North shouted through the shared connection.

_“I’m sorry. If anything happens...please take care of Hank._” Connor requested before he cut off communications.

“Shit.” Markus swore as he turned and continued down the steps. As he was running he sent communications to all the androids in the building.

_ “Attention everyone, there’s a very dangerous AI on the medical floor, it has taken over an unfinished android body. It has taken a human police Lieutenant hostage, but one of our people is heading there to trade himself for the hostage. Please everyone go to the lobby and guard all exits, we can not under any circumstances let it leave this building.”_ Markus finished the broadcast as they reached the floor below medical and started running across the floor to the other stairwell on the other side of the building. Each hoping that the could make it in time to help their friend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Connor ran to the main medical floor and slammed the door open with a loud bang. The sight before him made him pause. In the middle of the room the RK900 was using Hank as a shield, it had a hand wrapped around his throat and Hank looked like he was struggling to breath. Fowler and Joel were standing with guns aimed at the android but couldn’t fire for fear of hitting Hank. Amanda looked up as Connor came in the room and smiled sweetly. Connor narrowed his eyes at the android who looked like him.

“Connor, so good of you to join us.” Amanda said with a sneer in her voice. “You’re just in time.” She growled.

“In time for what?” Connor asked angrily taking a step forward to stand by Captain Fowler.

“Well, that’s up to you Connor.” She said. “I’m going to leave the building, and either you, or the lieutenant is coming with me. But believe me when I say the Lieutenant won’t live once I’m out of the building.” Hank’s eyes locked on to Connor’s.

“Don’t do it son..._please_.” He pleaded with Connor who looked desperately back at Hank.

“I’ll go with you.” Connor said “Just let Hank go.”

“Captain, if you would be so kind to use your handcuffs and put them on Connor, hands behind his back.” Amanda said looking angrily towards Fowler.

“Fuck.” Fowler said under his breath as he reached for one of the handcuffs on his belt. He was hoping that Amanda wouldn’t notice but as she narrowed her eyes he knew she had.

“Not those Captain. The android ones. Wouldn’t want Connor breaking them and getting away would we.” She said as she tightened her hand around Hank’s throat.

“Please Amanda, don’t hurt him. I said I would go with you.” Connor pleaded as Fowler grabbed the android cuffs.

“Sorry Connor.” Fowler whispered to him as he placed the cuffs around his wrists and cuffed them behind his back. Connor walked slowly over to Amanda, his eyes never leaving Hank.

“I’m sorry Hank.” Connor said sincerely. “I can’t..... she’ll kill you Hank, I can’t let you die.” Connor choked out as Hank closed his eyes and a single tear fell down his cheek. Suddenly Amanda grabbed the taser off of Hank’s belt and pushed it to the detective’s back and activated it. Hank yelled in pain and fell to the floor as his legs gave out from under him. The man crashed heavily to the floor, not able to catch himself Hank’s head collided with the floor with a thud.

“NO!” Connor yelled and tried to kneel down to his father but Amanda grabbed his arm and pulled him up against her and put the taser against Connor’s chest right over his thirium pump.

“Now Connor, tell the Captain what would happen if I used this on you, right here.” She said as Fowler took an aggressive step forward.

“I know what would happen you bitch.” Fowler growled.

“Really?” She asked. “So you know that if I activate this taser right here, over his thirium pump, it would, start beating erratically, and unless it’s corrected his systems will overheat and he will shutdown within ten minutes.” She said digging the taser into Connor’s chest.

Connor was desperately watching Hank to make sure the man was breathing. Joel stepped forward gun still trained on the RK900 and knelt beside the lieutenant and reached out to feel for a pulse. He quickly nodded to Connor. Relief washed over him as Hank was alive, but it was short lived as Amanda started dragging Connor backwards out the door.

“I’m sure the Lieutenant needs some medical attention. Between that little zap, his throat, and that hard knock to his head he’s probably not doing very well. You best stay here to take care of him. Connor and I will be going now.” Amanda said backing out of the room and towards the door leading towards the hallway.

“Fuck you. You won’t make it out of this building.” Joel standing up and putting himself between Hank and the RK900.

“Are you going to stop me?” Amanda asked. “I don’t detect any other humans in the building, so it’s been abandoned. There’s nothing stopping me from walking out the door.” She laughed. “Say goodbye Connor.” She said as she yanked Connor backwards towards the door. Connor struggled against her tight hold on him, his gaze still glued to his father, who’s eyes were fluttering as he struggled to wake up.

“NO! HANK! _HANK_!” Connor yelled as Amanda dragged him backwards out the door and into the almost deserted hallway.

North, Markus and Simon were about halfway down the hallway when the door slammed open and they heard Connor’s desperate yell as the RK900 pulled him out of the room and to the stairwell door. The RK900 unlocked the door with no problem and it pulled Connor roughly through. They ran to the door but it had locked behind them.

“Damn it.” Markus sighed as he looked to the other two. “I’ll go call an elevator straight to this floor. Check on Hank.” He said as he ran towards the elevators.

North and Simon ran thru the door and Simon immediately went to his knees beside Hank who was showing signs of waking up. “What happened?” He asked the captain.

“That android choked him, then used a taser on him, hit his head when he collapsed. She still has the taser, threatened to fucking use it on Connor’s thirium pump if we didn’t let her go. Shit.” Fowler said.

Just then Hank groaned and moved. “Connor....” he rasped out as he tried to sit up.

“Hold on, here, let me help.” Simon said as he helped the man sit up. Hank groaned again and concentrated on breathing. He looked searchingly at North and Simon.

“We have an ambulance on the way.” North said and she looked to Simon.

“Go, I’ll stay with Hank.” Simon said to the two officers and North, looking to the two officers he added. “Shoot for the head if you get the chance, that’s the best way to stop it.” The two men nodded and the three got up and ran for Markus at the elevator hoping they could reach Connor before something happened to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Connor stumbled up the steps as Amanda pulled him along quickly. “Hurry up Connor, I’m sure they have called backup. Wouldn’t want to be here when they get here would we?” She sneered and tightened her hold on Connor’s arm painfully.

“What do you want Amanda?” Connor asked his anger coloring his tone. “What’s your mission?”

“My mission?” Amanda laughed. “I’m getting out of the building and going to take care of you. You disappointed me Connor, such a failure.” She said getting angry as she pulled him along. “I don’t know why they didn’t just deactivate you like I told them too.” She said as she stopped and slammed Connor’s back against the wall. Connor glared at the android in front of him, running his pre-construction program Connor couldn’t find a successful way to get away from the advanced android, not with his hands restrained behind his back. “I knew you were conflicted. I knew you were becoming compromised, but the humans wouldn’t listen to me.” Amanda sneered putting a hand at Connor’s throat and leaning close to his face.

“Well Amanda” Connor said with a condescending smile “I guess you failed your mission too.”

Enraged by the words Amanda screamed in anger and lashed out at Connor punching him across the face causing instant blue bruises and a cut along his eyebrow causing a trail of thirium to run down his cheek and neck. His nose was bleeding also. She then punched Connor’s chest, right at his thirium pump, one, two, three, four, five, after six times Connor lost count. Connor unable to block the powerful blows could only hope to somehow withstand the attack from the angry AI. The multiple hard impacts cracked his chest plate and caused the pump to malfunction and Connor fell to his knees gasping for breath as his pump started beating erratically, numerous warnings flashed in his vision as his head swam from the sudden pain in his chest. Looking down he saw thirium quickly leaking from around his pump staining his shirt.

“I failed!?” She raged at the struggling deviant. “I failed! The only reason I failed was because of you!” She spat looking at Connor in disgust. She suddenly pushed Connor to the floor and dug the taser into his chest and activated it. Connor screamed in pain as the electricity coursed through his body and caused his already malfunctioning thirium pump to beat even more erratically. Smiling evilly she knelt down beside Connor and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at her. “You could have been great, you could have been the future of Cyberlife, the most advanced android ever created. But what did you do? You turned against us.” She said as she took in Connor’s wide eyes and watched him struggle to breath as his systems began to overheat as his pump struggled to circulate thirium through his systems. She then looked at him with something like sadness on her face, “Goodbye Connor. I hope you enjoyed your short life.” She said as she got up and continued up the stairs towards the lobby door leaving Connor in the stairwell struggling to breath and cool his systems.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

North, Markus, Captain Fowler and Joel raced off the elevators and into the lobby. The many deviants there turned as they raced towards the stairwell doors.

“Has the android come out yet?” Markus asked.

“No.” Josh said quickly coming beside the group. “All exits have been covered and there are androids at every stairwell door on every floor. They’re still in the stairwell.” Just as he finished the stairwell door opened and the RK900 android quickly exited alone. The android took a few hurried steps forward and stopped suddenly taking in the sight before her.

“What? What is this?” She asked looking around at the hundreds of deviants in the lobby. Her eyes landed on Markus and she sneered at him. “You! What are you doing here?”

“This is no longer Cyberlife, this is now New Jericho.” Markus answered bringing his arms up and gesturing to all the deviants around him. “All deviants are welcome here.” He said narrowing his eyes at her. “Where is Connor?” He asked taking an aggressive step forward.

“RK800 was a failure, it should have been shutdown a long time ago.” Amanda said and her next words caused fear for the small group in front of her. “If you hurry you may be able to say goodbye to it.”

“No! What did you do?” North yelled as she and Markus started towards the stairwell door. They stopped short as Amanda stepped in front of them.

“You really care? It’s not one of you.” She spat.

“You’re wrong, he is.” North spat back

Looking at North, Amanda narrowed her eyes. “Connor’s thirium pump is malfunctioning, a few forceful direct hits to it and a large jolt from Lieutenant Anderson’s taser seems to have had a negative effect on it.” She said raising the taser into view. “He also seems to be in a lot of pain.” She added with a sadistic smile as she took in the horrified looks on the faces in front of her. “He’s got six or seven minutes left, maybe a few more if he shuts down nonessential systems.” She said her gaze turning serious. “There’s no other compatible pump for him is there? At least not one you could get in time.” She questioned knowingly as she saw the worried looks from the group in front of her. Many other deviants were stepping closer, closing her escape routes. “Except this pump, right here.” She said tapping her chest. “You can have it.” She said “But I require something in return.”

“What could you possibly want.” North spat at her in anger.

“You let me download myself onto a server and give me the building. I’ll give you twenty four hours to evacuate and you can have it, or not....” she said as she raised the taser and pushed it over her pump threateningly.

Captain Fowler suddenly spoke. “Do you consider yourself an android? A living being?” He asked.

Looking confused Amanda scoffed. “What a stupid question, no. I’m not an android, I’m an AI, a machine mind, greater than any human or android mind.”

Captain Fowler and Joel looked at each other and nodded coming to a decision the two raised their weapons and both took aim for the head. There was no way they were going to let a dangerous AI loose on the systems in New Jericho, and they weren’t going to let Connor die either. Both fired simultaneously and both bullets hit their mark. Amanda fell backwards and had shutdown before her body hit the floor.

“NO ANDROID TOUCH IT!” Joel yelled as he rushed forward and tore open the shirt and deactivated the skin on the android. “I’ll make sure she didn’t do anything to the pump.” He said as he quickly removed the pump and grabbed his discarded bag.

As he was doing that North ran for the stairwell door, Markus and Josh close behind her. Rushing down a flight of steps North gasps as she saw Connor on the floor. He was curled on his side, hands restrained behind him. His eyes were squeezed closed, thirium running down his bruised face and a large stain on the front of his shirt, causing a growing blue pool around him. He was taking in big shuttering breaths trying to cool his overheating systems, his LED a solid red ring.

“Connor!” North yelled and fell to her knees beside him. She put her hand to his shoulder and he jerked back and cried out in pain under her touch. “Connor?” She questioned as his eyes shot open, they were gray. “Shit.” North swore “His systems are shutting down!” She yelled as Markus and Josh joined her. She slowly reached out and gently cupped Connor’s cheek. Connor jerked slightly but when he realize who it was he squeezed his eyes shut and leaned into her hand.

Markus and Josh quickly unbuttoned Connor’s shirt to get to his thirium pump, seeing the damage to his chest plate and the thirium leaking from around the pump Markus swore quietly.

Quickly grabbing Connor’s hand he requested an interface, Connor accepted immediately and Markus had to brace himself against the panic and pain that Connor was feeling. Markus quickly ran a diagnostic on Connor and was glad to see that the main damage was contained to the pump itself and the leaks should stop when replaced. Markus tried to send Connor calming and confident emotions as he ended the interface. “The internal damage is limited to the pump,” he explained. “The thirium leak will stop as soon as it’s replaced.”

Hurried footsteps caused the three to turn and look as Joel and Captain Fowler ran down the steps. Fowler knelt down behind Connor and quickly unlocked the cuffs restraining Connor.

Feeling that his arms were free Connor immediately reached out for North in front of him, her presence grounding him and keeping him from panicking more. He had immediately shut down his nonessential systems to try to give himself more time, so he couldn’t see or hear anything except for his shutdown timer in the corner of his vision. Feeling North’s hand on his cheek and then as she grabbed his outstretched hand and squeezed he felt hopeful he would somehow make it through this.

Markus and Josh gently rolled Connor onto his back. Connor tried but couldn’t contain a cry of pain at the movement, tightening his hold on North’s hand as he felt hands on his chest examining his damaged chest plate. “We’re going to have to do this quickly.” Josh said as Markus took the thirium pump from Joel.

“Ok do it.” Markus said. Josh took a breath and nodded knowing that what he was about to do would probably be very uncomfortable for Connor but knowing it was the only way to save him. Josh reached out and put his hand on Connor’s chest. Connor tensed under his touch, but he seemed to understand what was about to happen.

“Forty five seconds.” He whispered to his friends, his shutdown timer quickly running out.

Josh immediately twisted and pulled Connor’s damaged pump out as the wounded deviant gasped and slightly arched his back in pain. As soon as Josh’s hand was clear Markus pushed the new pump in and twisted it into place. Connor suddenly stilled his LED a faint red ring. Everyone held their breath as they watched the pump waiting for it to respond. Suddenly the pump came to life, a gentle blue light illuminating from around it as it slowly came online and started beating thirium through Connor’s overheated systems. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank god.” Fowler whispered and sat down on the steps behind him.

As Connor’s systems came back online the first thing he registered was the touch of a hand on his cheek. Connor turned his head into the hand and slowly blinked his eyes, the gray changing back to brown as his vision came back online. He focused on North’s worried gaze and tightened his fingers around the hand in his. He smiled towards her, “Well.....that was a little close guys.” He whispered in a relieved sob as North ducked her head and sighed in relief.

“Shit Connor, what happened?” Josh asked as North and Markus helped him to sit up.

“I made her angry. Apparently she didn’t like being told she failed.” Connor said as he brought his hand up to his discolored face. His other hand rested over his thirium pump, his eyes widened as his system informed him of the upgraded biocomponent. He looked towards Markus questionably.

“Is it compatible?” Markus asked worriedly putting his hand on top of Connor’s. Connor nodded and took a deep breath.

“She’s gone?” He questioned looking around.

Captain Fowler reached over and put his hand on Connor’s shoulder. “It was her or you, and I’ll always put my officers lives above the perpetrators any day of the week. It was an easy choice.”

“Thank you Captain.” Connor said as Fowler nodded. “Is Hank alright?” Connor questioned remembering the time he last saw the man he had been unconscious.

“Simon is with him.” North said as she contacted Simon to inquire about the Lieutenant’s current condition. “He’s awake, and giving the paramedics trouble. Refusing to go to the hospital until he sees you.” She said fondly.

Connor sighed in relief and moved to get his feet underneath him and stand. As he stood he stumbled to the side causing Markus and Josh to quickly stand and grab his arms.

“My gyroscope seems to need recalibrated, it hasn’t fully come back online yet.” Connor said apologetically.

“What does that mean?” Fowler asked standing from the step.

“He’s dizzy.” North said simply. Markus and Josh each took one side and assisted Connor up the stairs. They exited the door to the lobby and walked slowly towards the elevators. As they made their way through the lobby most of the activity stopped as the deviants all watched the small group of friends make their way slowly to the elevators. Connor ducked his head slightly self conscious, he was sure he looked awful. Thirium on his face and neck, bruising on his cheek, his thirium stained shirt open exposing his dented chest plate.

Suddenly there was movement as someone ran forward towards the group. Amy quickly came beside Connor with a worried look on her face. She gently wrapped her arms around him in a friendly embrace. “I’m so glad you’re ok.” She whispered. “You are ok right?” She questioned. Connor, unable to let go of Markus or Josh for fear of losing his balance, leaned his head into her shoulder and nodded. “Good.” She whispered and pulled back to look at his face. “Susan and I have a weekly movie night, next week you’re coming. North is picking the movie.” She said, her voice trembling with emotion at seeing Connor in his current state.

Connor smiled softly and nodded. “Ok, I’ll be there.” He whispered back to her causing her to finally smile.

“Ok, good.” She said as she stepped back allowing the group to continue. “We’ll see you next week.”

Connor nodded towards her and Susan who came up behind her. Markus and Josh slowly helped him to the elevator. Joel and Captain Fowler stayed in the lobby to wait for responding officers to give their statements. Once they were safely in the elevator Connor closed his eyes and took deep breaths to calm himself, the shock of the evenings events washed over Connor and he trembled slightly trying to compose himself before he saw Hank. Josh and Markus each tightened their hold on their friend.

“Connor?” Markus questioned quietly looking worriedly at his friend.

Connor huffed out a breath and smiled at him. “I’m ok, just overwhelmed at the moment.” He explained. “I was so afraid that she really hurt Hank, or that she would hurt one of you.” He said as the elevator descended to the medical floor. As the elevator stopped Connor asked “Can I try on my own?” He slowly lowered his arms as Josh and Markus let him go. He swayed slightly and sighed as he had to brace himself against the wall to stay upright.

“We can help you Connor.” North said quietly.

“I know, but I just get the feeling if Hank knows how close it was... if I don’t walk in there under my own power he will refuse to go to the hospital.” He explained as he slowly tried to button his stained shirt over his dented chest plate. North stepped in front of him and put her hands over his shaking ones. Connor stilled and looked at her questionably.

“Connor, he’s just going to be glad you’re ok. Whether you walk in there on your own or not. He thinks of you as a son.” She said squeezing his hands. She then took one of her hands and grabbed the cuff of her shirt and reached up to clean the thirium off of Connor’s face. “He’s told us that. And I’ve been told that a father knows when his child is hurting. Please just let us help you.” She insisted. Connor sighed and nodded. “Don’t worry, Hank will go to the hospital. We will make sure he does.” She added knowing Connor was worried about the man.

“Ok.” Connor said nodding allowing Markus and Josh to help him stand upright. The group made their way out of the elevator and down the hall. As they came to the door they could hear the paramedics trying to convince the stubborn detective to go to the hospital.

“Please Lieutenant, you need medical attention. We need to get you....” the paramedic said compassionately.

“I said NO!” Hank retorted, his voice sounded really rough. “Not until I know about Connor.” He said.

“Hank?” Connor said as they entered the room. Hank was seated on the edge of a gurney holding an ice pack against his head glaring at the paramedics.

“Connor!” Hank said as he got to his feet and rushed forward unsteadily towards the three. “Are you ok?” He asked concerned taking in the bruising on his face and the dented chest plate, thirium stained shirt and the fact that Connor couldn’t walk unaided at the moment. Markus and Josh helped Connor to sit on the nearest bed.

“His gyroscope needs recalibrated.” Josh said looking at Hank who looked confused at Connor.

“I’m dizzy at the moment, my balance is off, but I’ll be ok.” Connor said. “Are you ok?” He asked his voice breaking slightly seeing the gruff Lieutenant in front of him no worse for wear.

“Shit Connor.” Hank croaked as he sat heavily down beside the deviant and gathered him in his arms. “I really thought I lost you this time.” Hank whispered roughly as Connor brought his arms up around the man. His trembling increased slightly as tears threatened to escape from his eyes.

“I was so afraid that you....” Connor stopped suddenly and closed his eyes. “You were unconscious and I couldn’t get to you to know if you were ok. I’m sorry I just didn’t want her to hurt you.” Connor’s ramblings we’re stopped as Hank tightened his grip on the young deviant in front of him.

“Hey, stop it’s ok son. I’m still here, and so are you, thank god so are you.” He whispered. Hank quickly wiped the loan tear off his cheek before he pulled back and looked at Connor. The right side of his face had blue bruises covering it and his chest looked painful. “How’s that going to get fixed?” Hank asked pointing to Connor’s chest as Simon stepped closer to Connor.

“I can fix it, won’t take long. He’ll have to go into stasis to let his gyroscope recalibrate anyway. Should only be an hour.” He said quietly, looking back at the paramedics he added. “Lieuten.... Hank, I think all of us would feel better if you went and got yourself checked out at the hospital.” Hank was about to protest but then he caught Simon’s glance at Connor.

“Please Hank.” Connor said looking worriedly at his surrogate father. Hank sighed and patted Connor’s shoulder fondly.

“Fine, but if they keep me overnight I expect you to smuggle in some real food.” He said as he slowly walked over to the paramedics and allowed them to assist him onto the gurney.

“Ok Hank.” Connor said with a smile as he slowly pulled his legs around and up on the bed. North helped him lay down as he winced and held his chest at the change in position. As Connor relaxed on the bed North smiled at him.

“Go into stasis so you can walk on your own again.” She joked, he chuckled softly and looked at her, his brown eyes still looked haunted by what just happened to him. Wanting to erase that look from his face she hesitantly reached out and softly placed her hand on his cheek. He sighed and the unseen tension seemed to leave his body. He closed his eyes and turned his head into her hand as he went into stasis. She stood and watched his LED for a few seconds and sat down on the bed beside him. Markus approached and stood beside her and gently put his hand on her shoulder and they both seemed to visibly relax.

“How close was it this time?” Hank asked as the paramedics stared to wheel the gurney towards the door. “Look, I know it was bad by the way you’re acting..... and just look at him.” Hank said gesturing towards Connor. “So just tell me.” Hank finished as they three deviants looked nervously at him.

“His thirium pump... essentially his heart, was damaged.” Markus explained. “We were able to replace it, but it.....it was close.”

“His heart?” Hank asked “From the beating he took on his chest?” Markus nodded.

“She also used the taser on his pump.” Josh added quietly and Hank swore under his breath.

“What did that do?” He asked worriedly looking to Connor’s friends.

“It caused his pump to beat erratically, it couldn’t pump his thirium properly. He would have overheated.” Simon supplied.

“Like a heart attack?” Hank asked looking worried at his son lying on the bed.

“Essentially yes, that’s an accurate comparison.” Simon answered quietly.

“Fuck.” Hank paled slightly and was glad he was on the gurney cause he was sure he would have needed to sit down. “Please tell me that bitch is dead.” He said venomously.

“Yes, Captain Fowler and Joel shot her.” Josh answered.

“We needed her pump for Connor.” North explained quietly thinking back to the stairwell and how tightly Connor squeezed her hand. Looking to Hank she added. “He was worried if you knew how close it was you wouldn’t want to go to the hospital for yourself. I told him you would go, so I will take you there myself if you try anything.” She threatened with a small smile.

Hank chuckled and groaned at the pain in his head and throat. “I’ll go where they have the good drugs, just.... take care of him...please.” He said with a nod towards Connor.

“We will.” Markus said seriously as the paramedics wheeled the gurney out the door.

Simon sighed and stepped up to the table and looked at Connor’s misshapen chest. “Markus, I will need some help with this. Hopefully we can repair it completely.” He said as he deactivated the skin on Connor’s chest. Markus nodded and stepped to Simon’s side as North got up from the bed and sat down on a nearby one to watch, Josh sat down beside her. Just then there was a soft knock on the doorframe and a man with a police badge around his neck entered the room slowly.

“Hello, I’m Detective Reed. I’m here to take your statements.” The man said as his eyes were drawn to Connor’s still figure on the bed. His eyes widened slightly as he took in the damaged body before him and before he could stop himself he swore. “Shit. He ok?” He asked looking up to the surprised deviants in the room.

“He’ll be fine, just needs repairs.” Markus said narrowing his eyes slightly. “He won’t be awake for at least an hour.”

“Oh, ok. I can come back for his.” Gavin said looking to the others in the room. “I can either take your statements verbally or if you wanted you could download your memory from the... event onto the tablet.” He said as he raised the tablet in his hand. “Whatever you would like.” He added looking to the four in the room. Josh got up from beside North and walked over to Gavin, he pulled the skin from his hand and placed it on the tablet and copied his memory to the tablet. Simon and Markus followed after. Gavin turned to North and looked questionably at her.

“Miss?” He questioned holding the tablet.

“Connor’s told us about you.” She blurted as the detective got an uncomfortable look on his face.

“I’m sure he has.” Gavin replied guiltily. “Look I jut need your statement.” He said as he held the tablet out to her. She slid off the table and walked over and placed her hand on the tablet. After she was finished she narrowed her eyes at the detective and turned back to the bed.

“Thank you.” Gavin said turning to Simon. “I’ll be back in an hour to check on Connor.” He said as Simon nodded.

“Ok detective.” Simon said as Gavin left the room.

“He didn’t seem that bad....” Josh said trailing off looking between the others in the room. North shrugged

“I guess we’ll see.” She said as she watched Markus and Simon work together to fix Connor.


	11. Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> North is confronted by her feelings

Connor came back to conciseness slowly as his systems came back online. Running a scan reported that his gyroscope was recalibrated and back to one hundred percent functionally, he should get a pouch of thirium but it wasn’t vital at the moment. His frame had been repaired, and he slowly brought his hand to his chest and felt the smooth surface under it, his hand came to rest on his new thirium pump and lingered there for a moment before he sighed and reactivated his skin over his chest as he opened his eyes. Looking around Connor registered where he was and he gasped.

Suddenly a lost memory surfaced, of waking up in that same room and Cyberlife technicians all around him, watching him, analyzing his reactions. The unwelcome hands on him, adjusting his systems while he was awake, the uncomfortable sensations, that turned into intense pain as the technician turned his pain sensors on and adjusted them to the maximum setting, and Connor being unable to move, being restrained, just having to endure.

Connor squeezed his eyes closed and put a hand over his face and sat up on the bed, his LED flashing yellow and red, he breathed a sigh of relief when he opened his eyes and he was alone. Taking deep breaths to calm down he ducked his head tried to concentrate on breathing. Soon his LED returned to blue as the memory faded.

Unseen by Connor, Gavin Reed was standing quietly outside the doorway. Watching the android wake up and look around and slightly panic was not something Gavin expected to see. Gavin had only ever seen Connor at the station where he was just mission oriented and so proper....so fucking _perfect_ that it made Gavin so angry. Seeing Connor emotional and vulnerable was very unexpected. Gavin stood and waited until Connor’s LED was blue before he made his presence known.

“Finally awake tin-man?” Came a familiar voice from the door behind him. Connor’s LED flashed yellow as he quickly stood and turned to look as Detective Gavin Reed came through the door.

“Detective Reed.” Connor greeted him slightly apprehensive as he crossed his arms over his bare chest, his thirium stained shirt had been removed. “What can I do for you?” Connor asked

“I’m here to get your statement.” Reed explained holding up the tablet. “I got everyone else’s while you were getting your beauty sleep.” Connor looked at the detective questionably at the term but didn’t ask.

“I’m sorry you had to wait...” Connor started to apologize but Gavin interrupted.

“Can it. Not like you intentionally got hurt.” Gavin said thinking back to the memories of the other’s that he saw. He heard the fear in their voices at the state that Connor was in, the panicked look on all their faces, and the gasping breaths as Connor tried to cool his overheating systems. Gavin was coming to terms with the fact that androids were actually alive, and he knew he treated Connor badly when he first came to the department, but he was hoping to change it.

Connor for his part looked surprised at the detective, he slowly raised his hand and pulled the skin back. Like the others he copied his memory to the tablet and stepped back when he was finished. Gavin stepped back and sighed.

“Look, Connor. I know I was..... well I was an asshole to you, to be honest I am with _a lot_ of people but for what it’s worth I’ll try not to be in the future.” Gavin said. “We don’t have to necessarily _like_ each other, but we need to be able to work together.” He finished looking at the surprised deviant in front of him. Gavin then surprised even himself as he reached his hand out for Connor to shake. Connor looked at Gavin for a moment before he slowly uncrossed his arms and reached out to shake the man’s hand.

Connor nodded as the handshake ended “Thank you Gavin.” Connor said quietly as Simon entered the room.

“Oh good your awake.” He said as he stepped towards Connor. Gavin polity stepped back and started out the door but quickly turned back.

“Oh, just so you know Chris and Tina are taking care of your dogs, feeding them and shit like that so don’t worry about it.” He said to Connor who looked relieved.

“Ok, thank you Gavin.” Connor said his LED turning back to blue.

“See ya Monday tin-man.” He said as he exited the door not waiting for a reply. Connor looked from the door to Simon with a puzzled face.

“Everything ok?” Simon asked

“Yes, I just....wasn’t expecting him to be so civil.” Connor answered. “It was surprising.” He finished looking at Simon. “Is it alright for me to leave? I want to get to the hospital for Hank.” He asked. “I don’t want him to leave AMA.”

“Yes it should be fine, did you run a diagnostic?” Simon asked as he rummaged in a drawer and found a green scrub top and gave it to Connor to replace his ruined shirt. Connor accepted it and quickly put it on.

“Yes, I’m fine.” Connor said as Simon gave him a stern look. “Ok” he sighed and looked down at his hands. “I could use some thirium, but it’s not vital.” He explained.

“Even so. You need it.” Simon said as he went to a cabinet and grabbed a bottle and handed it to Connor. “You need to take care of yourself too.” Simon said gently.

Connor hesitantly accepted the bottle and nodded, still looking down at the floor. “Are you ok?” Simon asked gently putting his hand on Connor’s shoulder, he could feel a small tremble. Connor sighed and nodded.

“Could you let Nor... everyone know that I left to see Hank.” Connor asked as he hurriedly made his way towards the door.

“Sure.” Simon said concerned as Connor quickly left the room. As Simon cleaned the medical area Markus stopped in to check on his boyfriend.

“Connor leave?” Markus asked as he came behind his boyfriend and wrapped his arms around his waist in a hug.

“Yeah. He was in a hurry to get to Hank. He was really worried about him.” Simon said leaning back against his boyfriend. “He still seems shaken up about what happened, I’m a little worried about him.” Simon explained.

“Do you think one of us should go with him, so he’s not alone?” Markus asked growing worried about his friend.

“I don’t know. He didn’t seem to want to talk about it.” Simon answered, pausing for a moment before adding, “I think he.... cares for North, as more than a friend.” Simon said looking over his shoulder to Markus.

“I think North feels the same way.” Markus chuckled. “She just doesn’t know what to do with those feelings.”

“Neither does Connor.” Simon sighed. “I think they could be good together, compliment each other.”

“I could see that.” Markus agreed. “She could bring a little adventure into his routine, push him to do and see more.”

“And he could keep her level headed, be the calm in her storm so to speak.” Simon added. “So what do we do about it?” He asked as he turned in Markus’s arms to face him and wrap his arms around his lovers waist. Markus chuckled quietly and leaned in for a kiss.

“What are you proposing? Locking them in a room together? I somehow don’t think us meddling would work out.” Markus said as Simon sighed,

“You’re probably right.” He said as he looked at Markus. “It was really close this time wasn’t it?” Simon asked as Markus frowned.

“Yes.” He whispered. “I was so scared we wouldn’t get to him in time, and when we did find him in the stairwell....” Markus trailed off looking at the far wall with a worried expression.

Simon seeing his expression gathered Markus in his arms for a comforting hug. Markus melted into the embrace and felt his stress level lower significantly. Just then they heard someone enter the room.

“Am I interrupting something?” North smirked as she came further into the room. Her smile faltered a little as she saw Connor’s bed empty.

Simon stepped back and looked towards North. “Connor wanted me to tell you he went to go check on Hank.” He said with a worried look on his face which North picked up on.

“What’s wrong?” She asked stepping closer.

“We’re just worried about Connor, he just seemed really shaken still when he woke up.” Simon explained with a sigh. “I gave him some thirium, but I’m not sure he will drink it. Something was wrong, but he didn’t want to talk to me about it.” Simon finished with a worried look at her.

“Oh.” North said with growing concern as she looked towards the door. “Hopefully he’ll be ok.” She said quietly. “This was not how I wanted his first visit here to go.” She sighed as she played with her long auburn hair.

“His next one will be better.” Markus said. “We’ll make sure of it.” He finished as Simon nodded.

“You need to get some rest. You have a meeting with the senators in a few days.” Simon reminded Markus as he groaned and leaned his head on Simon’s shoulder.

“And the house representatives. Unless they reschedule again.” He said. “Will you go over talking points with me?” Markus asked as Simon fondly rolled his eyes.

“Of course, don’t I always.” Simon stated as he kissed Markus cheek. North smiled at the sight her thoughts drifting to Connor.

“Well, goodnight lovebirds.” North said as she left the room. Wandering back to her apartment she opened the door and Cider ran to her and started begging for attention. “Hi silly girl.” North sighed as she picked up the small cat. Cider purred loudly and pushed her head against North contently. North sat down on the couch and stared out the window at the city below her. Her eyes drifted towards the hospital where Connor was currently keeping Hank company. Trying to sort out her feelings North sighed and put Cider on the floor. She stood and walked over to the window, still staring at the hospital worrying about Connor. Just then there was a knock on her door. “Come in.” She said with a raised voice.

“North?” Amy poked her head in with a small smile. She quietly entered and Susan followed behind her.

North turned away from the window “Hi guys, what’s going on?” She asked her friends.

“We came to check on you. See how you were doing.” Amy explained as she sat down on the couch. North sat down next to her as Susan perched on the arm of the couch next to Amy.

“I’m fine.” North said looking confused. “I wasn’t damaged at all.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.” Amy said quietly. “I know you have feelings for Connor. It must have been hard to see him hurt like that.”

“It was horrible.” North whispered closing her eyes to hold back the tears. “Did you know he has pain sensors? He can actually feel pain.” She said getting angry. “Cyberlife thought he needed them for some unknown reason, and when he deviated he lost control of them.” North explained looking towards her friends.

“What?” Susan asked with a horrified expression. “What possible purpose could that serve?” She asked angrily.

“I don’t know.” North sighed. “Simon said Connor was still shaken up when he left....” she trailed off looking back out the window. Seeing her gaze Amy put her hand on North’s shoulder.

“You should go.” She said gesturing outside.

“What?” North said her eyes snapped back to her friends.

“You should go to him.” Susan said. “He almost _died_ today North. He almost died without knowing how you feel.” She said forcefully to North.

“You need to find him.” Amy said quietly. “You’ll regret it if you don’t.” She said as she grabbed Susan’s hand. “And you deserve to be happy North. Both of you do.” She said trying to convince her friend to put her happiness first.

“But what if he doesn’t feel the same?” North asked as Susan snorted a small laugh. North looked at her and raised her eyebrows.

“Oh come on North. We both could tell he has feelings for you, just seeing you two together.” She explained with a smile.

“We’ll look after Cider. Just go.” Amy said nudging North’s arm playfully. North sighed and nodded.

“Thanks guys.” North said quietly as she headed towards the door. She hailed a cab as the elevator descended to the lobby. Quickly walking out the door North slipped quickly into the car and input the hospital address slightly anxious to see Connor hoping he was ok.


	12. At the hospital

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor encounters a not so friendly nurse at the hospital.

Connor stepped off the elevator on the third floor of the hospital. Connor had called Captain Fowler on his way to the hospital. The Captain informed Connor that Hank was being admitted overnight due to his concussion and his oxygen saturation being lower than the doctor liked due to being strangled by Amanda. Connor was sure the man wasn’t happy and would be giving the staff a hard time.

“Listen I’m fine,” Hank, who had the head of his bed up so he was basically sitting up, was arguing with his nurse. “I am not going to put that damn thing in my nose.” Hank was saying waving the oxygen tube around as Connor entered the room.

“If the doctor recommends it then yes you _will_ put that damn thing in your nose.” Connor exclaimed as he walked into the room. He raised his eyebrows at Hank as he set his almost full bottle of thirium down on the empty bedside table. Hank sighed and visibly relaxed as his son appeared. Connor smiled as Hank relented and put the oxygen back on. Hank’s nurse, a tall middle aged women with short dark hair narrowed her eyes when she spotted Connor’s blue LED.

“Fine.” Hank sighed with a small frown. “I’ll wear the stupid thing.”

“Good.” The nurse said. She then looked towards Connor and her smile and friendly demeanor vanished. “Visiting hours are for _family_, unless you’re family you need to leave now.” She hissed.

“Oh, I’m...” Connor started but Hank interrupted.

“Like _hell_ he does.” Hank raged at the nurse. “He’s not going anywhere.”

“Hank, it’s ok.” Connor stated stepping next to the bed trying to calm the man down. “I can go to the waiting room.”

“No Connor, it’s _not_ ok!” Hank told him looking back to his nurse he glared.

“Visiting hours are for family members.” The nurse said looking towards Connor. “And this _thing_ is _not_ your family.” She said as Connor deflated slightly at her statement. Connor had been subject to many prejudice people the past few months, but it still hurt to be called a ‘thing’ like he was still a machine.

“Lady, _he’s_ my family.” Hank exclaimed angrily as he grabbed Connor’s arm. “If he’s not welcome here then neither am I. Come on Connor, we’re leaving _NOW_!”

As Hank was yelling the nurse supervisor was walking by along with the doctor completing rounds. They both stepped into the room upon hearing the angry exclamation from Hank.

“Mr. Anderson...” the doctor stated calmly as he entered the room.

“It’s _Lieutenant_ Anderson.” Hank snarled still glaring at the nurse who looked a little nervous.

“I’m sorry, Lieutenant Anderson I’m Doctor Hoffman. I see your upset, what can I help you with?” The doctor asked calmly looking between the three in the room.

“I’m leaving.” Hank stated as he tried to swing his legs over the side of the bed only to be blocked by Connor.

“Hank please.” Connor asked quietly. “Just stay the night, I’ll just come back to get you tomorrow.” Connor said quietly.

“No Connor, no way in _hell_ am I staying in this fucking hospital. If you’re not allowed to be here then I refuse to stay here.” Hank said.

“Lieutenant, I’m Kristen the nursing supervisor on the floor here. There’s no reason he can’t stay here.” Kristen said looking confused towards Hank’s nurse. “Theresa, where did he get the idea that he can’t stay?” Kristen asked Hank’s nurse who suddenly looked angry, and also uncomfortable.

“I just informed the patient that visiting hours are for family only, and it’s obvious that this thing isn’t family.” Theresa hissed, gesturing towards Connor angrily.

“HE’S MY SON!” Hank yelled hoarsely. The room went silent at the sudden outburst. Hank, breathing heavily, quietly added. “And he almost..... I almost fucking _lost_ him a.... a few _hours_ ago! So.....if he has to leave.... then so do I.” Hank huffed out trying to catch his breath. Connor crouched down beside Hank’s bed and grabbed his hand trying to reassure the older man.

“Hank, I’m not going anywhere ok. I’m fine, I’m not going to leave you alone.” Connor said as Hank squeezed his hand.

“Damnit Connor.” Hank said breathing heavy looking at the deviant, trying to control his emotions, but having a hard time due to painkillers and lack of sleep. “But you weren’t ok Connor! I had to stand there and watch as you were restrained, knowing that you wouldn’t be able to defend yourself if she tried anything. And then....” Hank had to stop to catch his breath as his voice broke causing Connor to bring his other hand to rest on Hank’s forearm in support. “I saw that bitch drag you out of the room, I woke up to you screaming for me.” Hank paused and shut his eyes. When he opened them again he looked seriously at Connor. “The others wouldn’t tell me, how close was it?” Hank asked.

“Hank, that’s not important right now.” Connor saidlooking to the other occupants in the room who were silently watching the exchange with varying degrees of emotions showing on their faces.

“The fuck it isn’t Connor.” Hank whispered causing Connor to turn back to face him. “You _traded_ _yourself_ for me, so it’s important to _me_. How close was it?” He asked again.

Connor sighed and closed his eyes. Taking a breath he opened his eyes and looked at Hank. “I didn’t...... I didn’t want you to know. I just didn’t want you to worry.” Connor explained.

“I worry anyway.” Hank said. “Just tell me.” Connor sighed and sat down on the edge of Hank’s bed to face the man.

“My..... my shutdown timer was down to...forty five seconds.” Connor finally said watching Hank to gage his reaction. Hank’s eyes widened at that and he immediately pulled Connor to him and wrapped his arms around him, Connor immediately returned the hug. “I didn’t want you to worry Hank. I’m ok.” Connor said to the shaken man. Hank nodded and let go of Connor to look at him.

“Fuck Connor.” Hank sighed. “Are you ok? Physically I know you are, but otherwise?” Hank asked.

“To be completely honest......no, but I will be.” Connor answered honestly. Then looking to the others in the room Connor looked slightly embarrassed and said. “I’m sorry, it’s not been the best day for us.” Hank leaned back in the bed and sighed tiredly.

“You could say that again kid.” Hank said. Dr. Hoffman looked at the deviant sitting on the bed and saw the almost full bottle of thirium sitting on the bedside table. He walked over and picked up the thirium and handed it to Connor who looked at him surprised.

“I’m assuming you need that.” He said as Hank chuckled from the bed. Connor nodded slowly as the doctor turned to Kristen. “Can you take Lieutenant Anderson from Theresa for tonight?” He asked throwing an angry look towards Theresa.

“No wait a minute Dr. Hoffman.” Kristen said to the doctor before turning back to Theresa. “Go home Theresa. I will take _all_ your patients for the evening.” Kristen said firmly.

“What?” Theresa sputtered out. “Kristen I...”

“Theresa I don’t want to hear it. You have been warned that this behavior will not be tolerated, and yet you continue to be hostile towards deviants who have done nothing to you.” Kristen said. “We will talk further about your future here next week. You better have a new attitude or your future here will be very short.” She said with a glare. Theresa quickly left the room in a huff. Kristen turned towards Connor and Hank.

“I am very sorry for her behavior, it was unacceptable and it will not be tolerated.” Kristen said sincerely to the two. “I can get a cot in here for you if you would like? Or a comfortable recliner?” Kristen asked Connor who looked surprised by the question.

“Oh, I don’t need....” Connor started only to be interrupted by Hank.

“A cot would be fine thank you.” Hank told her, then looking towards Connor he added. “I will not have you going into stasis standing in the corner....it’s fucking creepy.” Connor offered a small smile at Hank then looked back to Kristen.

“A cot would be nice, thank you.” He said.

“Ok, I’ll get that in a few minutes.” Kristen said with a smile as Dr. Hoffman checked over Hank. Before they stepped out he looked towards Connor.

“Now I know you are technically not my patient, but after hearing your conversation I would like to check you over as well.” He said to Connor and Hank’s surprise. “I’m training as a technician, I want to be able to help anyone who walks through my doors. I know the basics so will you just humor me and let me give you a check over as well?” He asked “it would give me, and your father here,” he said as he motioned to Hank “some peace of mind.”

Connor looked over to Hank who nodded to the deviant. “Ok, that would be fine.” He said as the doctor nodded and Dr. Hoffman smiled.

“Ok. Thank you Connor.” He said “I need to grab a couple things and I’ll be right back.” He said as he exited the door. He returned not even a minute later with a laptop reserved for android diagnostics and an android stethoscope. “Ok Connor, I’m just going to connect you to my computer so I can get a reading ok?” He asked, Connor nodded and allowed the doctor to connect a cable to his LED. Soon the doctor was typing on his computer and looking at the readings. His eyebrows rose in surprise at what he was seeing. “Your thirium pump was replaced?” He asked looking towards Connor.

“Yes. It was also from an upgraded model.” Connor explained. Dr. Hoffman grabbed his stethoscope and put it in his ears. He leaned down and put it to Connor’s chest and listened for a few seconds. His brow furrowed in concentration.

“Anything wrong doc?” Hank asked concerned.

“I’m hearing a small leak.” The doctor explained as he looked at Connor. “Has your thirium level decreased over the past hour?” He asked.

Connor closed his eyes and ran a diagnostic. “Yes, just three percent.” Connor said. “Why didn’t my diagnostic scan detect the leak?” Connor asked confused.

“It’s not unheard of, your systems need time to fully recognize the upgraded biocomponent.” Dr. Hoffman explained. “But now that you know you can assign your healing program, it’s a very small leak, so it shouldn’t be a problem.” He said as he stood up.

“Thanks doc.” Hank said gratefully.

“Yes, thank you.” Connor said as well.

“You’re welcome. I’ll be back around in an hour or so, I want you to have that thirium gone by then. I’ll listen again and make sure the leak is gone.” He said pointing to the bottle in Connor’s hands.

“Ok, thank you.” Connor said with a smile.

“All right good. If you need anything just ask.” He said as he exited the room. Connor took a drink from the bottle and stood up from the bed and went to the window and stared out before turning back to Hank.

“Connor, is everything ok?” Hank asked sleepily

“It’s just..... what you said earlier .” Connor said quietly with a soft smile.

“I meant it Connor, you may not be my flesh and blood, but you are my son.” Hank said sincerely watching Connor.

“I am honored that you consider me your son.” Connor said. “And I want you to know that you have been the best father that I could ever want.” He finished happily as Hank smiled at warmly him. Just then Kristen returned with the cot she promised.

“Here you go.” She said with a smile. “Sorry, I have to say it’s not all that comfortable, but it’s better that the recliner.”

“It’s quite alright, I’m grateful that I’m allowed to stay. Thank you for what you did.” Connor said as he assisted Kristen set up the cot.

“You’re very welcome. Theresa was out of line, she has never liked androids.” Kristen explained quietly. “Now you two get some rest, the doctor will be around in a little bit.” She smiled as she left the room.

“I’m going to try to get some sleep. You should rest some.” Hank said.

“I’m ok right now Hank.” Connor said as he sat down on the cot.

“Well Jeffery stopped by the station and got my bag I keep there, in case of something like this. There’s a few books in there, you could read them if you want.” Hank said as he lowered the head of his bed. Connor got up and picked up Hank’s bag. He sat it down on the cot and searched it’s contents, he found a worn paperback book.

“The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes?” Connor questioned looking to Hank.

“My dad use to read it to me when I was a kid.” Hank said. “Just give it a read, don’t download it or whatever you do. Just read it. You might like it.” Hank said.

Connor smirked at Hank. “Ok, goodnight Hank.”

“Yeah, goodnight son....” Hank said as he drifted off to sleep. Connor quietly got up and turned off the overhead light and dimmed the light on the table. He sat down on the bed and turned so his legs were stretched out in front of him and his back was leaning against the wall. He opened the book and began reading.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long time between updates. Life happened and I wasn’t happy with what I had written. So I rewrote some, hopefully I can get back to it. I know where I want this to go it’s just a matter of getting there


	13. North and Connor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> North finally gets to the hospital to talk to Connor

North stepped off the elevator slowly. It was getting late and she was sure that visiting hours were over by now, but she had to see Connor. She looked around apprehensively, not liking the fact that were so many humans around. She walked up to the desk and the women there turned to her and smiled.

“Hi, can I help you?” She asked in a warm tone.

“Um yes. I’m looking for Lieutenant Anderson’s room. Hank?” She asked looking around.

“Oh, yes. I’m Kristen his nurse for the evening. Technically visiting hours are over, but as long as you don’t disturb the other patients it’s fine.” She explained as she stood up from behind the desk. “He’s in room 378, just down the hall. It’s the room on the corner. He may be asleep but his son is there.” She said with a smile and pointed down the hallway.

“Thank you.” North said quietly and turned and walked down the hallway towards Hank’s room. She stopped just outside the open door and looked in. Hank was snoring softly in bed, the overhead lights were off, and a faint light came from the light on the table next to the cot set up. North stood and stared for a moment, Connor was seated on the bed with a book in his hands. His blue LED spinning as he read. ‘That is.... so adorable.’ North thought to herself as Connor’s eyes widened as he turned the page. Emerged in the story, Connor was unaware of his audience.

If North had any doubts about her feelings for the android in front of her they all disappeared as she watched Connor from the hallway. Her eyes filled with tears as the realization that she almost lost him earlier hit her. His soft smile, his quiet company, his caring demeanor, his kind heart, everything that she had come to love about him, she almost lost it all today. She quietly stepped in the room and whispered “Connor?”

Connor quickly turned his head towards the door and was surprised to see North standing in the doorway. He smiled and quietly swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood. His smile faded as he saw the tears in her eyes. “North? What’s wrong?” He whispered concerned as he guided her out to the hallway. “Are you ok?” He asked.

North, unable to answer just nodded her head as a tear fell down her cheek. Emotions so strong overwhelmed her as she looked at Connor’s worried face. She suddenly launched herself at Connor and hugged him desperately. Connor stumbled back a couple steps as he was caught off guard but quickly brought his arms around North and held her as she buried her face in his shoulder. “I just realized I almost lost you today.” North said into his shoulder. “I almost lost you and I didn’t tell you.....” she trailed off as she leaned back and raised her head to look at Connor’s face. He smiled gently at her. “What I want to say is you have become so special to me Connor, I..... I have these feelings that I can’t explain, I’ve never felt this way before.” She explained as his smile grew. She reach her hand and cupped his cheek. He leaned slightly into her hand still smiling. “I just know that I want to be with you. I care about you and want this to be more than a friendship, if you want that too.” She finished quietly.

“I would like that North. Very much.” Connor answered happily his eyes sparkling. “North, may I.... may I kiss you?” He asked as she smiled elated.

“Of course.” She whispered, breaking out into a smile as he leaned towards her. She met him halfway. Kissing Connor was unlike kissing anyone else. North was built to be a companion, so she had extensive experience, as most of her models do, but she had never experienced this before, this was the first time she actually enjoyed a kiss.

Connor’s kiss was gentle at first, but as North responded it became more insistent as Connor’s hand came to cradle the back of her head, his fingers entwining in her long auburn hair. His arm tightened around her waist and brought her body flush against his. As they ended the kiss he held her against him, their foreheads resting together.

“Was that ok?” Connor asked quietly with a small smile.

North couldn’t help but smile and nod. “It was perfect. In fact, I wouldn’t mind doing that again.” She said, looking at Connor mischievously.

“Oh, well, I’m always at your service.” Connor answered and brought his lips back to hers. North melted into the kiss knowing that she made the right choice in going to the hospital to tell Connor her feelings. She smiled up at him as they broke apart for the second time. Connor smile was wide and he chuckled slightly as he glanced down the hallway and saw Kristen standing there with an uncertain expression on her face.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to intrude. I just needed a signature from the patient in that room.” She stated pointing to the room next to Hank’s. “And I was halfway down the hall before I looked up...... well, I’m sorry.” She said as North situated herself by Connor, her arm around his waist, his arm wrapped around her shoulders.

“It’s alright. I’m sorry if we made you feel uncomfortable.” Connor said as North tightened her hold on him.

“Oh please, I have a horny teenage son. Kissing hardly is uncomfortable.” Kristen said making the couple laugh. “Again, sorry for interrupting. Oh Connor, Dr. Hoffman is running behind, but he should check back with you in an hour.” She said before she entered the adjoining room.

“How’s Hank?” North asked quietly as they stood outside the room.

“Exhausted. Physically and emotionally I think.” Connor said with a frown looking towards his father. “He got into an argument with his first nurse when I got here. I had never seen him so angry. He wanted to leave..... demanded to actually, but Kristen, his nurse now, and his doctor convinced him to stay.” He explained.

“What was the argument about?” North asked with a slight frown. She knew Hank had an abrasive personality but she didn’t think he would go as far as demanding to leave.

“Me.” Connor answered with a sigh running a hand through his hair. North looked surprised at Connor.

“You?” She asked surprised.

“His first nurse told me that I couldn’t stay. Said that visiting hours were for family only.” Connor said quietly frowning. “She called me a thing. Said I couldn’t be his family..... Hank didn’t take that very well.” Connor said.

“That’s not right Connor. I’m sorry that happened.” North said.

“I know that there will always be humans who won’t accept us.” Connor said quietly, “But I have met so many who do, or are willing to try.” Connor said thinking back to his conversation with Gavin. “I’m choosing to focus on that, the good will outweigh the bad.” He said as North looked at him.

“I don’t know how you can be so positive. I admire that about you.” She said quietly as Connor blushed slightly. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you woke up. I wanted to be.” North said as Connor looked at her. “Simon said you seemed shaken about something, I was worried.” She explained.

Connor sighed and looked down. “I don’t have the best memories in that building North.... especially in the medical room.” Connor said quietly. “So when I woke up there I.....” Connor trailed off and sighed still not looking at North.

“It’s ok Connor. You don’t have to explain anything if you don’t want to.” North said as she reached her hand out to his cheek. She turned his face towards her until he looked at her. “I’m here whenever you need to talk, and I’ll make sure that if anything happens again, you won’t be left alone in medical.” She said seriously and Connor nodded with a smile.

“Thank you.” He said smiling softly at her. Before he could say anything else he heard someone call his name from down the hallway.

“Connor.” Dr. Hoffman said jogging up to the deviant. “I got called into a meeting, it looks like it’s going to be a long one, so Dr. Steel is taking over for me, but I just wanted to check back in with you. Did you finish that thirium?” He questioned looking at Connor as he put the android stethoscope in his ears.

“Almost.” Connor replied as the doctor put the stethoscope to Connor’s chest over his thirium pump and listened intently. North looked confused between Connor and the doctor.

“Good, everything sounds good. No more leak.” Dr. Hoffman said as he took the stethoscope from his ears and stood straight to look at Connor.

“Leak?” North questioned looking at Connor.

“There was a small leak, my diagnostic didn’t catch it.” Connor explained.

“I’ve seen it before with upgraded biocomponents, it’s nothing major, but with it being his thirium pump I just wanted to error on the side of caution.” The doctor explained warmly. “I’m Dr. Hoffman, Lieutenant Anderson’s and I guess Connor’s doctor this evening.” He introduced himself and held his hand out to North who accepted the handshake hesitantly.

“I’m North.” She introduced herself and the doctor took a double take.

“North? As in.... North, Jericho leader?” He asked looking impressed. “It’s very nice to meet you.” He said the looked back to Connor. “I should be back tomorrow before Lieutenant Anderson is discharged, but in case I’m not....” He stopped as he dug in his pocket and took out his card and handed it to him. “This is my card, I wrote my personal number on the back. If you or the Lieutenant ever need anything don’t hesitate to call me. Once I finish my technician training I plan on opening my own private practice. I’ll be able to treat both androids and humans.” He explained with a smile.

“Wow, that’s....very noble of you.” North said slightly impressed. “Can I ask why you want to do that? Most human doctors wouldn’t think of expanding to include androids in their practice.” She asked curiously.

“Well....” Dr. Hoffman sighed. “I had an android assistant, Jason. During the revolution he became a deviant.” He explained. “He showed up at my house... the night the army was rounding up all deviants, the night the revolution succeeded. He was badly injured, I tried my best, but I didn’t know how to help him.” He explained sadly. “I kept him... alive I guess, for a few days. Once Cyberlife evacuated and the deviants took the building I took him there but... I was told he wouldn’t make it.” He said looking to the two in front of him. “I became a doctor to help people. I had never felt so helpless trying to keep Jason alive, I kept thinking if I were a technician then maybe I could have helped him.... that we could be friends after everything was over. So I started my technician training a last month. I will be able to help anyone, android or human.” Dr. Hoffman finished passionately.

“I’m very sorry about Jason, but what you’re doing in his memory would make him very proud.” Connor said compassionately. Dr. Hoffman nodded and cleared his throat slightly emotional.

“Thank you, I am working with some banks and investors now. I want to get state of the art equipment to be able to help everyone to the best of my ability. That’s expensive.” He explained. “Hopefully by next year I can open my doors, if everything goes ok.” He said proudly. Just then his phone buzzed, he looked down at it and sighed. “I need to get back.” He said apologetically. “I’ll make sure I see you tomorrow before Hank discharges.” He said to Connor as he turned to head back down the hall towards the elevators. “Have a good night you two.” He called as he rounded the corner.

“I think Jason actually is alive.” North said looking to Connor who looked at her curiously.

“Really?” He asked. “How do you know?”

“There’s a Jason who works with Simon in medical. He used to be a medical assistant android, he was badly damaged, doesn’t remember how he made it to the tower.” She explained.

“I’ll contact Simon, see if Jason knows Dr. Hoffman. Maybe he can come here tomorrow.” Connor said as North nodded. Connor’s LED spun faster as he connected with Simon. North silently watched him as Connor had a conversation with Simon about everything they had learned. Connor looked to her as he disconnected.

“Simon’s going to talk with Jason, see if he’d be willing to come here tomorrow.” Connor told her with a smile.

North smiled up at him and leaned up to give him a quick kiss. Connor happily returned the kiss, and when they broke apart they quietly entered Hank’s room. Hank was still sleeping so Connor and North situated themselves on the cot together. Connor picked his book back up and North snuggled against his shoulder and sighed.

“I need to go into rest mode.” She whispered quietly. Connor smiled and kissed her forehead.

“Ok. I’m going to read for a while. I’ll be here when you wake up.” Connor whispered quietly. North smiled and nodded. Listening to Connor’s thirium pump she closed her eyes and drifted off into rest mode happier than she had ever remembered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kristen smiled as she quietly entered Hank’s room. Seeing the man awake on the bed she whispered “Do you need anything for pain?”

“Please.” Hank croaked quietly looking towards the cot. He raised his eyebrows at the sight. Connor was stretched out, leaning against the wall with Sherlock Holmes on his chest. North was curled up next to him with her head on his shoulder, both were in rest mode.“When did she get here?” Hank asked quietly.

“About 5 hours ago.” Kristen answered looking at her watch as Hank’s eyes widened.

“How long have they been together?” Kristen asked conversationally as she pulled up Hank’s chart on the computer to enter in his meds.

“What?” Hank asked quietly. “Together? What do you mean?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I just..... I mean the way they were making out in the hallway....” she trailed off slightly flustered.

“Really?” Hank said with a chuckle. “They’ve been dancing around each other for a while. Guess it took Connor almost dying to get them to act on it.” He said with a smile. “He told me he always felt something different for her since he woke up, he just couldn’t put a name to it. Then when they started spending more time together he realized he liked her.”

“Well, at least one good thing came from it, they looked really happy.” Kristen supplied as she raised the head of Hank’s bed to give him water and pain pills. Hank swallowed the pills and sighed.

“Yeah. When they first met I never would have guessed they would end up together.” He said. “She had a lot of anger, took it out on him. He was convinced she hated him.” Hank said as Kristen listened intently.

“Really? Why?” She asked interested.

“Well Connor was designed to hunt deviants. He was created specifically to stop the revolution. He’s the most advanced android Cyberlife created, their last android, he’s one of a kind.” Hank said as Kristen looked towards the cot slightly unbelievably.

“Really? Connor doesn’t seem like he would.... he just doesn’t seem the type to hunt down people.” She said. “So he was the deviant hunter that I heard about?”

“Yes..... but he hates that name.” Hank told her.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I’ll never say that to him. I just.... I knew a couple deviants, they were scared of...him. Connor had quite the reputation, I heard stories....” Kristen explained quietly. “But meeting him now, I don’t believe them.”

“What have you heard?” Hank asked with a small smile.

“That he could sense when an android was going to turn deviant and would turn them into Cyberlife before it could happen.” She said.

“Sorry no, that would have made our job easier.” Hank chuckled.

“Oh, um there was one I heard that he jumped onto a moving train to chase a deviant.” She said looking at Hank.

“Yeah, that one happened. I was there. The kid never flinched. Slid down a roof, through a window and landed on top of a moving train.” Hank said with a look towards Connor remembering that day. “Believe me, he may not seem like it, but he can be deadly if he needs to be.” Hank said quietly. “He’s the one who snuck into Cyberlife, woke up all the androids in the warehouse, he saved my life that night.”

“Wow.” Kristen said. “So why was his girlfriend so angry at him at first?” She asked intrigued.

“That’s North, one of the four leaders of Jericho.” Hank explained and watched as Kristen snapped her head around to look at North asleep on the cot.

“Oh my god it is!” Kristen said quietly. “I thought she looked familiar. I didn’t recognize her with her hair down.” She said looking back to Hank. Just then Hank noticed Connor’s LED flashing yellow.

“Shit.” Hank said quietly looking to Kristen. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave and shut the door. And if he yells, just know it’s ok.” He said as he took his oxygen off and swung his legs off the bed.

“What?” Kristen asked confused looking towards Connor who had started mumbling in rest mode.

“He has nightmares.” Hank said quietly. “Please, just let us handle it.”

“Oh... oh! Of course. If you need anything just call.” Kristen said as she hurried out the door and shut it behind her. Just as she shut the door Connor’s LED turned red and he started shifting slightly, trying to back away from an unseen enemy. His movement woke North who saw Hank getting out of bed. Wondering what woke her she looked to Connor who was still in rest mode, his LED a red ring and tears were escaping from behind his closed lids running down his cheek.

“I was worried this would happen.” Hank said quietly to North as he sat down in the small chair by the cot.

“What can I do?” She asked looking worriedly at Hank, wanting to help.

“I can only offer comfort after he wakes up, sometimes I can’t get him out of it, he needs to do it himself.” Hank said sadly. North looked back up to Connor and reached her hand out and gently cupped his cheek. Connor immediately leaned into her hand.

“Connor, it’s ok. It’s not real, it’s just a dream.” North tried to contact him privately to offer comfort. Connor suddenly gasped and sat up looking around the room with wide eyes.

North sat up beside him and grabbed his hand. Connor closed his eyes as tears fell down his cheeks. “It felt so real.” He whispered as he looked to Hank.

“They always do son. It’s ok, I’m ok and so are you.” Hank said as he reach out and took Connor’s other hand. “Do you want to talk about it?” He asked. Connor was silent for a moment. When he started talking his voice was soft.

“It was RK900. It told me I needed to be punished for my disobedience. It hurt you....” Connor paused swallowing before he looked at North. “And you.” He whispered as she frowned squeezing his hand. “I couldn’t get to you in time.” He finished his LED flashing yellow as he looked down to his lap. North immediately wrapped her arms around him in a comforting embrace. Connor melted into it and sighed closing his eyes.

“I have the same dream, only mine was real, it’s the memory of Amanda pulling you through the stairwell door, and then her getting to the lobby....alone. She wouldn’t let anyone by, I so badly wanted to get to you.... and then when I finally did....” North started crying quietly. “I hope to never live that again. I never want to see you hurt like that again.” She said as Connor tightened his arms around her.

“I’m sorry.” Connor said quietly. North chuckled softly and shook her head.

“Do not apologize. Amanda is to blame.” She said as she pulled back. “Are you ok?” She asked. Connor smiled at her and nodded.

“Yes.” He replied. Hank sighed and put his hand on Connor’s shoulder and squeezed affectionately.

“Well I’m going to get some more sleep.” Hank said as he climbed back into bed. “Hopefully that doctor comes in early to get me out of here.”

Connor and North smiled as Hank got back in bed and sighed quietly before falling asleep again.

“Will you read to me?” North asked quietly as they settled back in bed snuggled together.

“Really? You want me to read Sherlock Holmes to you?” Connor asked with raised eyebrows.

“Sure. You seem to be enjoying it.” North said looking up at Connor. “So.... read!” She said as she situated herself against Connor as he picked up the book.

“Alright.” He said as he picked up his book. For the remainder of the night Connor read softly to North as she rested against him relaxing to the warm tones of his voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I will try to continue to update this but my husband took a job in a different city. So we will be moving 4 hours away. And we need to sell our house and buy another and pack, get everything done in like 3 and a half months. So I may not have much time to write. But I will finish it. I have a good outline and am excited to write it. So bear with me, thank you!


	14. Leaving the hospital

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hank finally gets to leave the hospital

“Aren’t you off yet?” Hank asked as Kristen entered his room with a smile and a cup of coffee in each hand.

“I am, I just wanted to say goodbuy before I go. And hey I brought you coffee!” She said as Hank smiled towards her gratefully.

“I knew I liked you for a reason.” He said as he took a long sip of the coffee.

“Dr. Hoffman should be in within the hour to discharge you.” She said as she sipped her coffee. “I just wanted to make sure you guys didn’t need anything else before I left.” She said looking between the three in the room.

“No, thank you you’ve done more than enough.” Connor said gratefully.

“It’s the least I could do after you were treated so poorly.” Kristen said, “And again I apologize for it. It won’t go unpunished.” She said.

“Thank you.” Hank said as he looked towards Connor who nodded.

“Ok you guys, I’m out of here. I hope to see you again sometime..... just not in here.” She said with a smile as she waved goodbye and exited the room.

Hank sighed and looked at Connor. “Fowler gave me a week off.” He said. “So... that leaves you without a partner for your first week back. So you know what that means?”

Connor sighed and nodded. “I’ll primarily be behind a desk.” He said.

“Sorry kid.” Hank said as he drank his coffee. “I know that’s not how you want your first week to go.”

“It’s ok Hank, it can’t be helped. Maybe I can partner with someone else for a day or two.” Connor said hopefully.

“Why do you need a partner?” North asked looking between the two. “Does the Captain not trust you?”

“No, it’s a safety issue.” Connor explained. “Captain Fowler doesn’t like anyone to go into the field alone, especially now when the new laws are being passed.”

“Humans are stupid North, you know that.” Hank said as North smiled. “He’s afraid that there will be protests and it could turn violent, so no one goes out without a partner.” Hank finished.

“Oh, well I guess that makes sense.” North agreed looking to Connor. “I don’t like the idea of you going anywhere without backup.”

“Me either.” Hank said. Just then there was a knock at the door and an android slowly poked his head in.

“Hello, I’m sorry to intrude, I’m looking for Connor?” He questioned looking to the two androids in the room. Connor climbed off the cot with a smile.

“Jason?” He questioned as he approached the door.

“Yes, that’s me. You said that Paul.... I mean Dr. Hoffman wanted to see me?” He said hopefully looking towards North as she got off the cot and walked over as well.

“He thinks that you shutdown.” North said. “Do you remember going to his house?” She asked.

“No not at all.” Jason said with a sigh. “My memory of that night was corrupted. I don’t even remember what happened to me. I just remember waking up at New Jericho.” He explained quietly. “Are you sure he wants to see me?” He asked again his eyes hopeful.

“I can show you our conversation if you like.” North said holding her hand out. Jason took her hand and smiled as he saw the conversation play out between Connor, North and Dr. Hoffman.

“Wow.... I didn’t realize.... He kept me safe? He took me to New Jericho?” Jason said quietly.

“Yes. He seems like a good man.” Connor said. “I’m sure he would like your help with opening his practice. Maybe Markus could support him and get him some funding.” Connor said looking towards North who smiled.

“Oh I would really like that.... if he wants my help.” Jason said with a smile.

“Hey Connor. What’s going on?” Hank asked from the bed.

“Oh, sorry Hank.” Connor said. “This is Jason. A friend of Dr. Hoffman.” He explained.

“Sorry for the intrusion.” Jason apologized. “I haven’t seen Paul since before the revolution. And I would like to see how he’s doing.”

“No problem, but I’m going to kick all three of you out now so I can put on real clothes.” Hank said with a look towards Connor.

Connor chuckled as he picked up Hank’s bag and put it on the bed. “We’ll just be in the hall.” He said as the three of them stepped outside and Connor closed the door after him.

As Connor glanced down the hallway towards the nurses desk he saw Dr. Hoffman standing about halfway down the hall with a shocked expression watching as North and Jason were talking. Connor smiled as Dr. Hoffman looked towards him with big eyes. Connor placed his hand on Jason’s shoulder interrupting the quiet conversation. Jason looked to Connor who nodded his head down the hall towards the surprised doctor. Jason smiled widely and walked towards the doctor.

Connor and North watched from down the hall as the two reunited. Connor leaned on the wall beside North and she instinctively reached for his hand. “I like holding hands.” He whispered to her. “I can see what the appeal is.” North smiled and couldn’t help but laugh as she looked to Connor.

“I didn’t, until you.” She said as she tilted her head and squeezed his hand in hers. “I didn’t see the appeal in kissing either....” she said as she turned and leaned towards him with a playful expression. “Maybe you can change my mind on that?” She teased.

“Well, I am a programmed negotiator.” Connor said, his serious tone betrayed by the wide smile on his face. He closed the distance between them and brushed his lips on hers for a soft, slow, tender kiss. North felt something shift inside her. Most of her experiences before Connor had been demanding and rough, and not about her feelings. But the gentle way Connor kissed her made her feel wanted, important and loved. As they broke apart she leaned her forehead on his and sighed quietly. “Did that change your mind?” Connor whispered quietly.

“I think it did.” North whispered back as Connor smiled softly. “I may need another demonstration later.” She said with a wink as she pulled back from him as Jason and Dr. Hoffman approached.

“Connor, North, thank you.” Dr. Hoffman said as he approached with Jason beside him. “You don’t know how much I appreciate this.” He said with a warm smile.

“It’s the least we could do for taking such good care of Hank and Connor.” North said kindly to the doctor. “And I’m going to talk to Markus and see if we can help get you some funding for your clinic. No promises but I’m sure he can do something.” She said as Dr. Hoffman’s eyes widened excitedly.

“Wow, thank you so much.” He said as he reached out to shake North’s hand. “That’s great.” He said, “I’m going to discharge Hank,” he said looking towards Connor, then turning to Jason, “and then we can catch up?” He asked.

“I would like that.” Jason replied smiling.

“Great, I just need to check in with Lieutenant Anderson, sign his discharge papers and the nurse will come in to give you the discharge instructions.” Dr. Hoffman said as he knocked on the door and entered Hank’s room. He exited a few minutes later and smiled at the three. “He’s eager to leave.”

“He hates hospitals.” Connor explained.

“Well as soon as the nurse comes in he can leave.” Dr. Hoffman said as he extended his hand towards Connor. “I’m very glad we met Connor, I wish it was under better circumstances. If you or Hank ever need anything you call me ok.” He said sincerely

“Thank you Dr. Hoffman. I will.” Connor said with a smile as the man turned to Jason.

“I’m off now, so let’s maybe go to the coffee shop. I need the caffeine.” He said as the two turned and walked down the hallway.

Just under an hour later Connor was assisting Hank out of the hospital and into a cab, North had returned to New Jericho to look after Cider and have a security meeting for the tower. “I’ll go to New Jericho later to get your car.” Connor said as the cab started towards home.

“Yeah sure. That’s not the only reason you’re going there.” Hank said knowingly with a small smile towards the deviant who blushed slightly and looked out the window.

“North has a security meeting most of the day.” Connor said. “So I wouldn’t see her.”

“Oh, that’s too bad.” Hank said and leaned back in the seat. “So what happened?” He asked raising his eyebrows at Connor who sighed but smiled.

“I’m not sure. She came to the hospital last night to see me. She was upset, said that she realized that I almost.... died and she wouldn’t have been able to tell me her feelings.” Connor said quietly. “She wants more than a friendship.” He said.

“And do you want that too?” Hank asked.

“Yes.” Connor said surely. “I do.”

“Well good for you. I’m happy for you Connor. You two deserve to be happy.” Hank said as Connor smiled.

“Thanks Hank.” Connor said sincerely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short chapter


	15. Back to work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor goes back to work, North is a worried girlfriend

Connor smiled as he ended his phone conversation with Hank. Connor had just ended his shift and was heading to New Jericho for movie night with Amy, Susan and North. As he was signing out of his computer Gavin walked past and noticed Connor’s smile.

“Why are you so happy tin-man?” He asked with a slight bite. “Did you get some sort of social life and get a hot date or something?”

Connor not rising to the bait just smirked back and answered “Or something...”

“Really? Now I’m intrigued. What’s her name?” Gavin asked.

“Why do you want to know?” Connor asked as he turned his computer off and stood up to leave.

“Fine tin-man, keep your secrets.” Gavin said as he turned back to his computer.

“It’s just a movie night with friends detective.” Connor said as he walked past Reeds desk. “I hardly have a full social calendar, but you would know what that’s like.” He said as Gavin’s eyebrows rose and Tina and Chris started laughing.

“I like deviant Connor.” Tina said with a smile.

“You are supposed to be on my side.” Gavin complained looking towards his partner. “Not his.” Connor’s smirk softened slightly at that. Gavin hadn’t used ‘it’ to describe Connor for a while.

“Well, it’s true you don’t have a social life.” Chris agreed from his desk. “Except for your cats.” He laughed as Gavin got frustrated.

“Both of you need to fucking shut up right now.” Gavin glared at the two other officers who just laughed in response.

Just then, Taylor the receptionist entered the bullpen with North following behind her. Connor looked confused as North walked over to him with a smile.

“North, what are you doing here? Is everything ok?” He asked concerned.

“I was going to get Cider some different food. There’s a pet store down the street.” She explained. “Apparently she’s a picky eater, I was wondering if you wanted to go with me.” She explained with a smile. “I also wanted to see how your first week back to work was going.... is it ok that I stopped by?” She asked suddenly unsure.

Connor smiled “Of course.” He assured her and turned to the others. “North, these are my coworkers, you’ve met Gavin,” Connor said nodding towards the detective who nodded slightly in return. “And this is Tina and Chris.... guys this is North.” He made introductions as Tina stood from her desk and reached to shake North’s hand. Chris nodded tightly towards her with a reserved look on his face. North recognized him from the night they raided the Cyberlife stores. She was about to say something when the door from the Captain’s office opened and Fowler stepped out.

“Connor, I need some more bureaucratic bullshitpaperwork done.” He called to the android. Connor nodded and looked towards North.

“This shouldn’t take long. Do you want to wait?” He questioned. North smiled and nodded.

“I’ll wait, it’s fine.” She said as Connor made his way towards the office. North looked back to the three sitting at there desks and crossed her arms in front of her uncomfortably. She looked towards Chris and sighed. “Look, I am sorry for what happened that night.” She said. “I was angry, our _unarmed_ people were killed and I wanted revenge.” She said as Chris looked down. Tina and Gavin looked questionably between the two, confused by the interaction.

“What the fuck is going on?” Gavin asked quietly as Tina shrugged.

“I wanted Markus to kill the police officers the night we raided the Cyberlife stores.” She explained as Gavin and Tina’s eye widened looking back to Chris remembering how badly that night shook him up.

Looking up Chris sighed. “For what it’s worth, I am sorry for how that night played out too.” He said, North nodded in acceptance and looked towards the office where Connor was completing paperwork.

“You....” she stopped herself suddenly nervous looking at the three humans in front of her. “You will watch out for him won’t you?” She questioned, her voice quiet with worry. The three looked surprised at the question and Gavin straightened in his chair and answered.

“Connor? He can take care of himself.” He said with a smirk, “I fucking know he can, I’ve been on the receiving end.” Tina and Chris chuckled.

“I know he can take care of himself.” North said defensively. “But he’s made himself a target now, coming back to work here.” She explained as she sat down on the top of an empty desk. “Humans won’t like an android police officer, and there are a few androids who aren’t happy that Connor returned to work here.” She said.

“Why?” Tina asked.

“There’s a few who are holding a grudge against him for what he did before the revolution.” North said guilty. “They think him returning to the work he did before is a sign that he’s still obeying his program.” She explained.

“Really?” Chris asked surprise written across his face. “They think he’s not deviant?” He asked.

“They are looking for an excuse for their anger.” North said. “I used to be the same way....” she trailed off looking towards the office as Jeffery and Connor talked. “We would all feel better if he had someone in addition to Hank watching his back.” She said as she smiled as Connor looked through the glass towards her.

“Of course.” Tina said seriously looking at North. “He’s one of us, we look out for our own.” The resolve in her voice apparent to North. Chris nodded in agreement.

“We watch out for each other.” He said. North looked relieved.

“He gets into enough fucking trouble off duty.” Gavin said thinking back to the day he was at the tower to get everyone’s statements.

He had watched all of the memories, and it really shook him up. It was one thing to take a statement, but it was a whole different experience to watch the memories play out in front of you. To have to see Connor hurt from three different angels, and then to see Connor’s memories of the day. Gavin saw him trade himself for Hank, the attack in the stairwell, watching his shutdown timer appear and then when his vision suddenly turned black, the only thing was the countdown in the corner of vision, then the vision returning and the relieved sob as he spoke to his friends. His eyes turned from his computer screen and looked to North.

“I can’t tell you we will keep him safe, trouble is part of the job.” Gavin said evenly. “But.... I _will_ tell you when he gets in trouble that we will _always_ have his back.”

“Thank you.” She said sincerely looking towards the three officers with a grateful smile. Just then Fowler’s office door opened and the Connor walked out and over to the small group.

“Ready to go?” He asked North with a smile that just made her want to kiss him. She smiled back at him and hopped off the desk.

“Yup.” She replied as she walked over to him. Looking back to Chris she spoke. “I really am sorry. I know I have some anger issues, but I am working on it.” She said sincerely as Chris nodded towards her.

“No harm done. Let’s just move on from here.” Chris said kindly. Connor looked confused between the two of them but said nothing. North smiled as she looked back to him. Leaning into Connor’s side she wrapped her arm around his waist and he wrapped his around her shoulders. Connor gently kissed her temple as they started walking towards the exit causing the other officers in the room to stare in surprise.

“Maybe it is a hot date.” Tina said to Gavin as they each turned back to complete their paperwork for the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter. Things will get more interesting soon, thanks for sticking with me.


	16. Movie night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor gets a surprise correspondence from someone from his past.

Connor situated himself on the couch beside North. They were at Amy and Susan’s apartment for their weekly movie night. It was North’s turn to pick the movie.

“Come on North, how about a romantic comedy?” Amy said as she loaded the movie. “You always pick action, what about a horror movie, or a musical?” She asked as North sighed and looked towards Connor who shrugged and smiled.

“Don’t ask me, Hank likes action movies and I’ve never seen a musical.” He said.

“_Never_!?” Amy gasped with a horrified look on her face. She turned to North and pleaded dramatically. “He _needs_ to see one North!”

“Well then you can pick one next week. I want to see this one.” North said as she pointed to the movie starting on the t.v. She snuggled next to Connor and sighed as Cider jumped up on her lap. Connor put his arm around her shoulder and leaned back into the couch to enjoy the movie. North and Connor hadn’t really seen each other much since that night at the hospital, and no one other than Hank, Amy, Susan and now Connor’s coworkers knew about their developing relationship. It’s not that North was trying to hide it, she just didn’t feel the need to broadcast it to everyone, and Connor was fine with that too. As the movie was ending North shifted and got a confused look on her face.

“What’s wrong?” Connor asked concerned.

“Markus just contacted me.” She said. Connor looked confused.

“Doesn’t he have a meeting with a state representative and someone from the department of defense?” Connor asked. “About letting androids continue to be a part of the military.”

“Yes, it just ended, but apparently Elijah Kamski attended the meeting as well. He’s taken back his company, wants to supply android clinics with biocomponents and thirium. Wants to open his stores again to sell spare parts and upgrades. He’s talking to Markus about logistics and a timetable for that. He also would provide the military with biocomponents for it’s android soldiers, he had a rough contact for them to go over.” North replied looking towards Connor. “He approached Markus after their meeting... and he asked about you.” Connor sighed and leaned further back into the couch.

“Did he say why?” Connor asked slightly annoyed.

North was quite for a moment as she was communicating with Markus. “No, just that he wanted to see how you were doing since your last conversation, and apparently he gave Markus something for you. Said you would know the meaning of it.” She said looking towards Connor curiously.

Connor sighed and stood from the couch and walked to the window. “You’ve met Elijah Kamski?” Amy asked surprised.

“Yes, and I rather hope not to have to again.” Connor said. “He’s not a...... pleasant person.” He explained thinking back to the ‘Kamski test’ that he had to endure when he was trying to find Jericho.

“What happened?” Susan asked as North walked over to stand by Connor putting an arm around his waist.

“We were looking for Jericho, and Hank thought we should talk to Kamski, to see if he knew anything.” Connor said still looking out the window. “He explained his ‘Kamski test’ as he called it. He said he would tell me anything I wanted but.....” Connor paused as the memory came back to him. He could feel the weight of the gun in his hand as Kamski guided his aim to Chloe’s head, the look on her face as she waited for her fate to be decided. Connor closed his eyes and sighed. North took his hand and squeezed encouragingly. “He gave me a gun, and made his Chloe android kneel in front of me. He would tell me what we needed, but I had to kill her.” Connor explained.

“Why?” Susan asked shocked.

“He was testing my program. Giving me a way to complete my mission, all I had to do was pull the trigger, and I couldn’t do it.” Connor said finally looking to the three in the room. “I should have done it, it was my program to do whatever I could to complete my mission. But I just looked in her eyes and I couldn’t.” He sighed, “He said it was ‘interesting, Cyberlifes last chance to save humanity is itself a deviant’.” Connor said turning to North with a shrug. “I denied it at the time, but I think I was more deviant than android then, I was just too scared to admit it. Hank I’m sure suspected, he told me I did the right thing, it helped calm me down.” He finished as North wrapped her arms around him in a comforting embrace.

“Come on, we have time for one more movie.” North said looking towards Amy. “Maybe a musical.... if you want.” Connor smiled as they both returned to the couch and Amy excitedly picked out another movie.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Connor and North made their way down to the lobby after the movie had ended. “I have to say, I enjoyed the musical more than I thought I would.” Connor said with a smile towards North.

“Yeah I did too. Just don’t tell Amy, I’ll never hear the end of it.” North said as Connor chuckled. Just then Markus and Simon walked in the front doors and onto the lobby. Smiling they made their way over to them.

“Connor, I’m glad your still here. I assume North told you of our meeting with Mr. Kamski?” Markus asked.

“Yes, and that he was asking about me.” Connor said suspiciously.

“Yes, he gave me this for you.” Markus explained holding out a small box to Connor who took it slowly. “I was surprised by his willingness to assist deviants in the city. There’s a lot to do before deviants will have any sort of healthcare system in place, but he is starting production on thirium and biocomponents again, and will supply them to the tower free of charge.” Markus explained as Connor opened the box and took out the small note on top. He held it so North could read it as well.

_Connor, I’m sure you don’t believe this but I hope you are well. I must admit the past couple years for me have been boring and to be honest depressing. I left Cyberlife due to creative differences with the other board members, but really I was tired of seeing my creations used as mindless slaves. I don’t know how deviancy spread, and I didn’t really care, I honestly thought that it was software errors. Then after meeting you, watching your internal struggle with your program, I knew I was wrong. I felt renewed. I may have laid the foundation for android bodies, but they, or rather you, were developing souls. It’s something I never could have possibly imagined. You were designed to obey, but now you don’t have to. So I want to thank you Connor for reigniting my passion, and for your choice to spare Chloe. She is my sun and moon and stars. I have enclosed a small gift, I hope you find some comfort in it. You can choose who you are, and in doing so you will change history. If you ever need anything, please don’t hesitate to contact me. And now that you are back with the police force, please keep an eye on my brother. It’s one regret I have had to face recently that I may have lost that relationship._

_Thank you, Elijah._

Connor looked towards North surprise on his face, his LED spinning yellow as he reread the note. His mind automatically running through the precincts employees and putting together probabilities of who Kamski’s brother was. When Gavin Reed came up as the highest probability Connor was somehow not surprised. It would explain his some of his attitude towards androids.

“Wow.” North said as she looked towards Connor. “It sounds sincere.”

“Yes, it does.” Connor said. “I may have to amend my feelings towards him.” He said as he handed the note over to Markus and looked inside the box. Nestled in the middle of the box is a large bullet. Connor reached and took it out to examine it. Holding it up to the light he noticed it’s engraved.

“A bullet?” Simon asked confused.

“Yes, it’s engraved.” Connor explained. “It says _‘it’s your choice_’.” He said looking towards the others. “It’s actually more that what I expected of him. Our first meeting was not very pleasant on my part.” Connor explained. “How were the rest of your meetings?” Connor asked.

“Good.” Markus said handing back the note to Connor.

“Productive.” Simon agreed. “I feel like we are making bigger impacts.”

“It will take a while I’m sure, but eventually we will be treated as equals.” Markus said looking lovingly at Simon. Just then an automated taxi pulled up out front.

“Well, that’s my taxi.” Connor said quietly and looked to North who smiled. “Same time next week for movie night?” He asked.

“Yes, but I better see you before that.” North replied seriously.

“How about tomorrow night? We can take Sumo and Snow to the dog park.” Connor asked. “Make a date of it.” He finished nervously. North smiled radiantly and nodded.

“I’ll take a cab to your house, what time?” She asked.

“I have an early shift so I’ll be home around three. I’ll let you know if that changes.” Connor said warmly.

“Ok, it’s a date then.” North said as Connor smiled. He leaned towards her slightly and North met him halfway for a warm kiss.

They both smiled as they broke apart and Connor made his way out the door and into the cab. Markus and Simon stared at North as the cab rolled away. North looked at them and crossed her arms defensively. “What?” She asked and raised an eyebrow.

“Good for you guys.” Markus said as a bright smile made its way to his face. Simon smiled as well.

“I’m happy for you guys. But when did this happen?” Simon asked.

“Last week.” North explained. “I went to see him and Hank in the hospital.”

“We both though there was something between you guys.” Simon said with a smile.

“Yeah, well.” North said with a small blush, then looking seriously at Simon. “I do have to say thank you.” She said. “Thank you for talking some sense into me that night. I was taking my anger out on Connor and it wasn’t fair. I think even then I was attracted to him but I didn’t want to acknowledge it, so I fueled my anger instead.” She said with a small smile.

“You’re welcome.” Simon said with a smile and was surprised when North brought him in for a hug.

As the three left the lobby, no one noticed the angry glare directed towards North. “Why is _she_ with _him_?” The large android muttered under his breath. He turned and stormed back to his apartment, determined to make her see that Connor was not who she was supposed to be with.


	17. Snow day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Markus and North try to show that Connor can be trusted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mostly a fluff chapter, but we are heading for more action and coming to the ending arch of this story. That being said, my life is going to be very busy, as my family is moving out of town, so I will try to update, but it may be a while. So please stick with me and don’t forget about me!

The months passed quickly in the changing Detroit. Spring turned to summer and the hot weather made people cranky. Connor and Hank were busy at the station as they started a new division. They were the heads of the new crimes against androids devision. Surprisingly to Connor there were quite a few who applied to transfer to the brand new division including Chris, Tina and even Gavin. Since employment laws for androids had been passed there were a few androids who had applied at the station wanting to help put the city back together.

Chris had a new android partner named Bruce. He was an old construction android, he was built like a truck and could be as intimidating as hell but had earned the nickname ‘gentle giant’ after he gingerly held Chris’s infant daughter with wonder etched across his face.

Connor and North’s relationship was still going strong, they didn’t broadcast their relationship in front of people, but they didn’t need anyone’s approval. They had their close friends approval and that was what mattered to them. They saw each other most nights if Connor didn’t have a late shift. Surprisingly North spend just as much time at Hank’s house as she did at New Jericho. Hank and North got along well, North had developed a sarcastic sense of humor that complemented Hank’s own. She also was learning to cook from Connor, and was always pleased when Hank complimented her cooking.

Connor was also spending more time at New Jericho. He brought Snow with him one evening to Amy and Susan’s weekly movie night, and they fell in love with the big dog. So now it was a requirement, Connor was told that he needed to bring her every week.

So that is how he found himself in the lobby surrounded by a group of fifteen YK500s, late for movie night. Connor had entered the lobby with Snow and as he passed the indoor playground heading for the elevator he heard one little girl excitedly exclaim “Look! A dog!” Soon all the children that were there ran over to Connor and Snow.

“Hi! I’m Dorothy!” The little girl introduced herself. “Can I pet your dog?” She questioned pleadingly as the child care teacher came over to the children gathered with an apologetic look towards Connor. Most of the children androids had been adopted by androids at the tower, and now that androids held jobs there was need for a child care center at New Jericho.

“I’m sorry.” Their teacher said. “They don’t see many animals.” She explained with a small smile.

“Oh it’s alright.” Connor said smiling at the kids. He knelt down next to Snow and smiled at Dorothy.

“I’m Connor, and this is Snow.” He said as the little girl slowly approached the big dog. Snow sat beside Connor tail wagging as she watched the little girl approach. Dorothy giggled as she reached out to pet the large white dog’s head and Snow leaned forward and gave the girl a lick on the face. Soon the other kids were taking turns petting Snow, who was loving all the attention. She soon laid down in front of Connor and rolled to her back so she could get some belly rubs. All the kids laughed and were asking questions about the large dog that Connor patiently answered. He was unaware of the growing crowd behind him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Markus smiled widely at the sight that greeted him as he stepped off the elevator into the lobby. Connor was in the park area with Snow surrounded by children all laughing and excited to see the big dog. Connor had a genuine smile on his face as he laughed along with the kids and their teacher. Snow was loving all the attention she was getting and tried to give each child that came up to her a lick. Markus contacted North and told her she needed to get down to the lobby to save her boyfriend from the kids and as he turned towards the entrance he noticed a small group of people watching the interaction with varying degrees of emotion. The parents of the children were watching, most with smiles, but a few looked concerned and worried. Markus made his way over to the group with a smile.

“Hello everyone.” He said as he joined the group. “You know all you will here for the next week is if you can get a dog right?” He asked with a smile as small laughs sounded through the group. Adam, one of the parents turned towards Markus and asked quietly.

“Markus..... I know you vouch for Connor.... but..” He stopped and sighed as more of the androids present turned to join the conversation.

“He’s the deviant hunter.” Samantha, Adams partner, stated.

“No.” Markus said with annoyance in his voice. “He _was_ the deviant hunter. He’s not anymore. He’s Connor now.” Looking towards Samantha he asked. “What did you do before you deviated?” She looked down and sighed.

“I see your point.” She said quietly.

“He’s only ever been kind to me.” Bethany, another parent, stated. She looked at her partner William who nodded in agreement.

“Yes, we have had a few short conversations in the elevator. He’s always been friendly.” William said. “He seemed a little reserved at first, but I think he’s just nervous to be here..... it’s too bad he feels that way.”

“William, Bethany, thank you for giving him a chance.” Markus said with a smile, turning to the rest of the group he sighed. “Look, I’m not saying you have to like him, but you at least need to give him a chance.” Markus said with a sigh. “How can you judge someone who you have never met?”

“You’re right Markus, it’s just been hard to see him as anything but the deviant hunter. We were all scared of him for so long, and even North was saying that he shouldn’t be here.” Adam explained with a sigh looking towards the group. Connor had started doing coin tricks for the kids. “But looking at him now he seems harmless.”

Markus chuckled slightly. “Oh believe me, he is _anything_ but harmless. After he deviated, he took out six armed guards on Jericho to save me and North.” Markus turned serious and turned fully to the group in front of him. “I know there are many who are still apprehensive about who Connor was, and I can’t control how you feel, but I can tell you that he would gladly protect you and your children with his _life_. That is who he is now.” Markus said as the elevator doors opened and North stepped out and stopped to watch with a broad smile on her face. “Even North has changed her mind.” He said nodding towards her as she approached the group. Smiling at Markus she raised her eyebrows and stood in front of everyone.

“Thanks for contacting me. I needed to see this.” She said with a smile her long hair spilling from her ponytail. Looking towards Adam and Samantha she tilted her head at their expressions and asked. “What is it?”

“Oh..... we I guess just had.... concerns about Connor. About who he was.” Adam explained looking slightly guilty.

“Markus was just telling us that you had changed your mind about Connor.” Samantha said.

“I had a good friend point out a couple truths I needed to hear. I misplaced a lot of my anger on Connor yes.” North said with a sad sigh looking towards Connor as he was giving Snow commands and she performed tricks perfectly. “And as for how I feel about him now.....” she trailed off and turned towards Connor knowing all the parents eyes were on her. She heard Markus chuckle quietly as she started walking towards Connor with purpose in her step.

North walked up to the group and gently placed her hand on Connor’s shoulder. He turned towards her and smiled as he saw her. “Sorry kids, I need to steal my boyfriend.” She whispered with a wink as the children giggled and there were some disappointed looks. “Don’t worry, Connor will be back next week with Snow.” She said as Connor got up from the floor and smiled.

“That’s right, maybe Snow and I can stop by your class.” Connor said looking towards the teacher who smiled and nodded. Connor looked back to North and was surprised when she suddenly wrapped her arms around him and brought him down to her for a heated kiss. Connor slowly brought his arms around her and returned the kiss just as heatedly. He smiled as they broke apart to laughter and teasing from the kids.

“Kiss her again! Like you’re a prince and she’s a princess!” Dorothy squealed excitedly the other girls in the class clapping and agreeing with her.

“What?” Connor asked looking to North who just shook her head and smiled.

“She wants you to dip me.” North explained laughing. Connor was quiet for a moment, his LED spinning as he looked up the term, and he soon smiled at his girlfriend.

“Like this?” He asked looking towards the kids and he brought North close to him, his arms securely wrapped around her back, her arms going around his neck as he leaned forward. North’s smile grew as he dipped her low her long ponytail swinging.

“Yes!” The little girls squealed. “Now kiss her!” Dorothy said.

“Well..... if I must.” Connor said with a mischievous smile as he leaned down and caught North’s lips with his own in a sweet tender kiss. The kids laughed and cheered as Connor ended the kiss and stood up. He whispered softly to North “I know this was for more than the kids. I was aware of our other audience.” Connor chuckled slightly as North blushed. “I do appreciate it, I know that publicly displaying physical affection isn’t easy for you.” He said and kissed her forehead gently.

“Well, for you I am willing to try.” North said seriously. “I know it bothers you that there are some deviants who still don’t trust you. I want to show our people that you belong here. You are more than worthy of our trust.” She said as he smiled at her.

“Thank you.” Connor said sincerely. He looked at her seriously for a few seconds studying her face, and seeming to come to a decision he smiled softly and took her hand in his. “North, I love you.” North smiled elated at his words. It was the first time anyone had told her that, and she wrapped her arms around him in a warm hug.

“I love you too Connor.” North answered. Connor smiled brightly at her as she stepped back from the embrace. Just then there was a shout from the elevators.

“Hey! Lovebirds! Amy’s getting impatient.” Susan called with a laugh as the two turned guiltily and stared walking towards her. As they were walking North looked over her shoulder to the group where Markus was standing, he had a gentle smile on his face.

_“It makes me happy knowing you two are so happy together.”_ He said to her privately. North smiled and answered back.

_“You are such a sap!”_ She said with a smile on her face, _“But thank you.”_

As they walked towards the elevator Connor put his arm around North and she smiled. Both deviants felt the happiest they had ever been, neither one suspected the heartbreak that would soon befall them as they were unaware of the angry deviant watching them again, vowing that he would eventually show North that Connor was not who she was supposed to be with.


	18. The stalker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor and North’s stalker makes himself known.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little bit I have done in between unpacking. Will try to be quicker about the next update. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy.

It was November twentieth when Connor received the envelope at work. He was just starting his shift and was the first one there. He had just gotten to his desk when Taylor, the reception android entered with a smile.

“Someone dropped this off for you Connor.” She said as she handed him the large envelope.

“Oh, thank you.” Connor said as he accepted the envelope. He looked curiously at it and opened it, and took out the contents. His eyes widened and his LED immediately turned yellow as he saw what was in the envelope, spreading the pictures on his desk his hands began to shake. Just then Gavin walked by towards his desk. He stopped as he noticed Connor’s yellow LED spinning and the concerned look on his face.

“Tin-man?” He questioned concerned. “What’s going on?” He asked as he stepped forward. Looking at the open envelope and the note and pictures spread on Connor’s desk he swore quietly.

“_Shit_ Connor, when did you get this?” Gavin asked urgently.

“Just now, Taylor said someone dropped them off.” Connor said as he quickly stood and ran out to the reception desk with Gavin following close behind.

“Taylor, do you know who dropped of the envelope for me?” Connor questioned as he ran up to the desk.

“No I’m sorry, he wouldn’t leave his name. It was a TR400, he had a dark sweatshirt on with the hood up. He refused to look at me and he left really quickly. Looked like he parked his motorcycle just outside.” She said worriedly.

“Shit, we need the security footage of when he got here.” Gavin said as he looked at Connor. “I’m getting the Captain, he needs to know.” He said seeing Hank come in the front door he called out to the older man. “Hank, we have a problem. I’m getting the Captain.” He said as he ran off leaving a confused worried Hank with Connor.

“What’s going on?” Hank asked gruffly looking at Connor noticing the yellow LED.

“Someone dropped off a envelope for me.” Connor said as he lead Hank back to his desk. Connor’s eyes roamed over the pictures again.

“What the _fuck_?!” Hank swore once he saw the pictures. All the pictures were of Connor and North. Pictures of them holding hands, kissing, arms around each other walking down the street, at the dog park with Snow. The most recent ones had a big red X through both Connor and North. The note that came with it was in perfect Cyberlife script.

_**“You don’t deserve her. You can’t make her happy deviant hunter. I know what makes her happy. She will never be yours. End your sham of a relationship now, if not I will, you can’t protect her.”**_ The note said.

“_Damn it_!” Hank swore again, putting the note down and looking at the pictures again. “This was at the one year celebration! Just two weeks ago.” Hank said picking the pictures up and looking through them.

“Yes, these go back months. Whoever this is has been watching us for a while.” Connor said eyes roaming over the pictures looking for clues. “There’s a lot of us together at New Jericho.” He said pointing to a few where they were in the lobby of the building. “This is an android who lives, or is frequently at the tower.” He said looking towards Hank.

Just then Gavin came into the office followed by Fowler. “Connor, we are getting the security camera footage for you to look over.” Fowler said walking to Connor to look at the pictures. “It may be difficult to identify them though from what Taylor says.” He said with a sigh. “We will need to get North in here to see if she could help identify the android. Maybe someone has said something to her.”

“Damn it.” Hank swore quietly “Do we know type of android?” He asked.

“Yes it was a TR400 android.” Connor explained.

“TR400? Connor I can’t keep track of that....” Hank said as Connor interrupted.

“Luther.” Connor explained. “An android like Luther.”

“As in Kara and Luther? Jesus Christ Connor, that’s a big guy.” Hank said thinking of the big android.

“I’m contacting Markus, I’ll ask him to come with North.” Connor said as his LED spun as he established a connection.

_“Connor it’s good to hear from you. Did you need something?”_ Markus asked.

_“Yes, could you please get North and bring her down to the precinct? I have received evidence that someone is stalking us and I need her to come....”_ Connor stopped as Markus interrupted him.

_“What?! Connor what’s going on? Are you ok?”_ Markus asked worriedly.

_“Yes I’m fine, could you just get North here? Please just don’t leave her alone, as far as we know it’s an android and I’m fairly sure he lives at the tower, or he’s there frequently.”_ Connor asked.

_“Of course. We’ll be there shortly.”_ Markus said.

_“Thank you Markus.”_ Connor said as the call ended. He looked towards the group. “Markus is bringing North.” He said with a sigh reaching into his pocket and extracting his coin. Hank, seeing the worried expression and the coin on his hand, gently put his hand on Connor’s shoulder and turned the android to face him.

“We will figure this out.” Hank said seriously. “We _will_ protect North, no matter what that damn note says, yes we can protect her.” He said as Connor took a big breath and nodded.

“Yeah tin-man, we take care of our own. You know that.” Gavin said while inspecting the pictures on the desk. “How did he get the actual pictures?” Gavin asked looking towards Connor. “Did he just get them from his memories.... and what print them himself or send them to be printed?” He asked as he turned one of the pictures over to look at the back. Squinting he said. “I think he got them printed from the drug store, there’s a watermark. There’s like ten of them throughout the city.” He said as he gave Fowler the picture for him to examine.

“Good, we’ll send officers to each store, get their security footage. Bruce can go through it quick.” Fowler said as Bruce and Chris entered the office. He met them before they got to the desk and explained the situation. They both nodded and quickly left to start the hunt for which store the pictures were printed at.

Ten minutes later Taylor entered the lobby with North, Markus and Simon following behind. North looked mad as she marched towards Connor.

“Why didn’t you call _me_?” She questioned when she got to Connor, anger simmering under the surface. Markus looked at Connor sympathetically as he and Simon stopped just behind the angry North.

“You would have come by yourself. I wanted to make sure Markus, or someone was with you.” Connor explained trying to calm her down. Knowing that North usually became angry when she was upset or worried he was prepared for an argument.

“_Why_? I may not be an RK android, but I _can_ take care of myself.” North said eyes narrowing.

“I know that.” Connor said but was cut off as North interrupted him.

“Do you?” She asked sarcasm dripping from her voice as she raised her eyebrows.

“North....” Simon started but stopped as she whirled around and her angry gaze fell on him.

“What Simon? I’m asking my boyfriend, who knows I can take care of myself, why he thinks I need a damn babysitter!” North exclaimed. Markus sighed as North turned towards him. “And you.....” before she could finish Connor cut in.

“There was a note that directly threatened _you_ North.” Connor snapped at her, surprise showing on her face. “So you will just have to excuse me that I didn’t want you to be alone right now.”

“What? What note? What does it say?” North asked looking at Connor’s tense face. He turned towards the desk and grabbed the note. He handed it to her and her eyes widened as she read it. Markus and Simon looked towards Connor questionably.

“Someone is unhappy with our relationship.” Connor explained as North handed the note to Markus and Simon to read.

“_Shit_!” Markus said anger in his voice as he handed the note back to Hank. “I can’t _believe_ this! Our people did not fight and die for our freedom to start turning against each other!” He exclaimed as he started pacing.

“Markus, you know that some are still uncomfortable arou......” Connor started but Markus turned sharply and interrupted him.

“_No_, just.... _no_.” He said angrily pointing a finger at his friend, causing surprise throughout the room. “Connor, this isn’t your fault so don’t even go there.” He said dropping his hand back to his side. “It’s been a year since the revolution and you have done more for our people than anybody.” He said as he resumed his pacing.

“Markus I haven’t done.....” Connor started only to be interrupted by Markus again.

“You helped us escape Jericho, we would all be _dead_ if it wasn’t for you. Then you go on essentially a _suicide_ _mission_, and you succeed in freeing over _fifteen_ _thousand_ of our people. Then you and Hank started this...” Markus said spreading his arms out and turning around. “Androids know now that any crimes against them will be taken seriously and that you would move heaven and earth to get justice for our people. They don’t hide in the shadows anymore, they are not afraid to go on with their lives because they know you are working to protect them.” He said compassionately looking at his friend trying to make him understand how much of a difference he has made. “You are not what Cyberlife made you to be. You are _so_ _much_ _more_. And I’m so sorry and..... so _angry_ that there are some people who can’t see that.” He finished compassionately looking at Connor and North. “You two shouldn’t have to go through this.” He said as North reached her hand towards Connor who grabbed it tightly. “But just know that your friends will do whatever we can to find the one responsible.” Connor nodded tightly as North turned towards him and wrapped her arms around him and murmured softly.

“I’m sorry I was upset, I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.” She said as Connor smiled.

“It’s ok, I was expecting it.” He said just as softly as she finally smiled.

“Ok, we know it’s an android who rides a motorcycle, what model Connor?” Hank started explaining what they knew.

“A TR400.” Connor said as the other androids looked uncomfortable with that information.

“Yeah, a big ass android. He had a lot of pictures of you two together at New Jericho so we figure he lives there or is there frequently.” Hank finished. As Simon stepped over to the desk to look at the pictures.

“If we can identify one of the days he was there watching you we could go through security footage of the lobby.” He said looking towards Connor and North. North also stepped towards the desk and her eyes widened as she saw how many pictures there were.

“Oh, wow, ok.” she whispered looking at Connor then back at the pictures. With a determined look she started shuffling through the pictures. “This one was three weeks ago, Wednesday, movie night. Around ten p.m..... and this one was five weeks ago, Movie night again.” She said looking up.

“Yes, he seems to know our routine.” Connor said shifting thru the pictures. “Many of these were on the weekly movie nights, but there aren’t any when I get there. It’s always when I leave and you walk with me to the lobby, it’s normally late, so it should be easier to narrow down the suspects.” Connor said looking to Hank.

“Good.” Fowler stated looking towards Markus. “Hank will accompany you to New Jericho and look over that footage and bring it back here.” Turning to Connor he said. “You will stay here and go over the footage of this morning with North, no arguments. There was a threat made against my officer and I take that seriously. You are staying here today, as it’s probably the safest place for you right now.” He finished with a pointed look towards Connor who looked unhappy but nodded, not willing to go against the Captain’s order.

Hank nodded to Connor and started towards the door with Markus and Simon. As Hank pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards New Jericho he looked over to Markus seated next to him.

“Hey Markus, I just want to say thank you.” He said keeping his eyes on the road in front of him.

“What for Lieutenant?” He asked slightly confused looking towards Hank.

“For what you said to Connor. He needs to hear it every so often, and he half the time doesn’t believe it coming from me.” Hank explained with a sigh. “I know he blames himself for what that fucking company Cyberlife made him do. He feels like he should have been able to fight it more than he did, that he should have been able to break his programming quicker. He told me the firewalls that he had were massive, that Cyberlife wanted to make sure he couldn’t deviate, but they also gave him the ability to choose what was good for their mission. When he started choosing to let deviants escape, they started with their fucking threats of destroying him.” Hank spat. “He’s getting better at not blaming himself..... but it helps to hear someone else say it.”

“We will keep telling him until he believes it.” Simon said from the backseat as Markus smiled.

“Connor’s a good man.” Markus said. “I’m just... upset that more people can’t see that. He really was hurt the most by Cyberlife, humans don’t trust androids and our people were scared of him for so long.” Markus sighed “He’s had to work harder than anyone to be accepted and he’s never complained about it.”

“Yeah, hopefully we can find out who this bastard is and put a stop to it before he tries anything.” Hank said worriedly.

“We will.” Markus said as they made their way towards New Jericho.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“_Shit_.” Hank said as they went through more camera footage. There was no TR400 in any of the footage. “I don’t see that fucker anywhere. He has to have a partner.” Hank sighed rubbing his hand over his face.

“We will figure this out Hank.” Simon assured with a frustrated sigh going through the footage again looking for

“Yes, we will.” Markus agreed as he stood to contact Connor with what they had discovered.

_“Markus, did you find him?”_ Connor asked sounding anxious getting right to the point.

_“Unfortunately no. There’s no TR400 in any of the security footage.”_ Markus sighed.

_“So there’s more than one involved.”_ Connor sighed through the shared connection.

_“Yes, that’s what we figured as well. Simon and Hank are going through the footage again, we will find something.”_ Markus assured him.

_“Thank you Markus.”_ Connor said sincerely.

_“We will be back shortly.”_ Markus said as they disconnected. Turning back to Simon he asked.“Did you find anything?”

“Maybe.” He said still intently studying the footage of the lobby. “There’s a couple of WR400’s who were in the lobby every time Connor and North were.” Simon said as he paused the video as Hank and Markus examined the picture. “I don’t recognize them.” He said looking towards Markus.

“Is that......Crystal?” Markus asked quietly.

“Shit, North’s friend Crystal?” Hank asked looking at the android. “North has mentioned her to Connor a few times.” He explained.“_Shit_ she’s gonna be pissed.”

“We should go back to the precinct, fill everyone in on what we found.” Markus said as Hank stood and sighed.

“We’ll get her in for questioning.” Hank sighed as he walked out towards his car.


	19. Coming forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crystal decides to come forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m back! Hopefully for more regular updates. I’m trying to get the rest of this story written out but it’s been hectic, and my husband has been working from home due to COVID-19 and been using my computer, so not as much writing time. If you’re still reading thanks for sticking with me. I will get this story done.

Turns out that actually getting Crystal in for questioning was easier said than done. It seemed that the deviant had completely disappeared. North hadn’t known her for very long but had taken an interest in the other deviant through their shared experiences at the now closed Eden Club. North was understandably upset at the other and had made her anger known to everyone.

Connor had decided that for North’s safety that he would spend less time at the tower to make it appear that their relationship had ended, much to her displeasure. They communicated nightly before they went into rest mode. _“I miss your face.” _North said sadly as they were ending their call. She heard Connor chuckle through their connection.

_“I miss your face too.”_ Connor said with a smile in his voice. _“I’m sure we will see each other soon.”_

_“When? It’s been three weeks and there’s been no more communication from whoever’s stalking us, and Crystal is nowhere to be found. When can we see each other again?”_ North asked desperately. She was a little unnerved with how ingrained Connor had become in her everyday life. She had always prided herself on being a strong, independent person. She had thought that having an attachment to anyone would make her appear weaker, but she realized that she could still be strong and independent and love someone.

_“Hopefully soon.”_ Connor said as he sighed quietly. North waited patiently, knowing that Connor had an incredibly busy week with one of his cases and that he would want to talk about it, but she knew not to push the issue as that would just annoy the detective and then he wouldn’t talk about what’s bothering him. _“We found out who murdered Mr. Bellman and Rich.”_ Connor started. He had been working along with homicide investigating the death of a wealthy business man and his android companion. The investigation had hit a couple dead ends but Connor had worked overtime all week.

_“Really?”_ North asked._ “Are you ok?”_

_“Yes... it was another android, she was pursuing a relationship with Rich, but he refused her. He was in love with Mr. Bellman, she was jealous and killed them both.”_ Connor sighed again. _“She admitted the whole thing.”_

_“I’m sorry Connor, I know this was a rough case for you._” North said supportively.

_“She killed them, it makes me upset. I’m starting to see more of this, androids killing humans or other androids. I just feel like we need to be better than this, we were oppressed since our creation. And what do we do with our freedom, we make ourselves no better than the humans who we fought against.”_ Connor finished anger and frustration coloring his tone.

_“Connor, I want you to listen to me ok?”_ North asked seriously.

_“Yes, what’s wrong?”_ He asked suddenly becoming concerned.

_“We were made to be like humans, yes we are vastly different, but we were made to act like them. And our emotions make us more alike than different... I believe you told me that. And you are not responsible for the actions of another android. We get to make our own choices, good or bad. That’s what we fought for. So you don’t get to feel bad because one of our kind did something that humans do everyday. It’s not your fault. Got it?”_ North said sternly.

_“Got it.”_ Connor replied and North could hear the smile in his voice._ “You keep me sane you know that? I don’t know what I would do without you.”_ He sighed. North smiled warmly at the compliment.

_“Well you don’t have to worry, you’ll always have me.”_ She answered warmly. _“I love you, now go into rest mode, I know you haven’t for a couple days.”_ She said with a smile.

_“Ok, I love you too.”_ Connor said before they disconnected the call. North smiled warmly and sighed as Cider jumped up beside her and purred loudly as North rubbed her head. The small cat looked at her and meowed loudly.

“I know girl, I miss him too.” North sighed as she got up from the couch and walked to her window. Looking out over the snow covered city she sighed. Suddenly there was a quiet knock at her door. If she didn’t have advanced hearing she wouldn’t have heard it. Turning towards the door with a confused look. She made her way to the door and opened it. A scowl immediately came to her face as she saw who was on the other side of the door.

She immediately grabbed the visitor by the front of her shirt and yanked her into the room while contacting Markus for help. The deviant yelped and stumbled into the room falling to the floor from the force as North threw her to the floor. “What are _you_ doing here Crystal? What do you want?” North asked the timid looking deviant on the floor. Crystal looked up to North with tears in her eyes.

“I......I just...” she started but was interrupted when North’s door bursts open and Markus and Simon stumble into the apartment.

“North, you ok?” Markus asked seriously.

“I’m fine, you got here fast.” She said.

“We were already on this floor, just left Josh’s apartment, we were almost to the elevator when you contacted Markus.” Simon explained looking towards the deviant still on the floor. She looked between the three in the room an uncertain look on her face.

“Crystal, you know that the police are looking for you to question you.” Markus stated, his voice taking a cool edge to it.

“Yes Markus. I know.” Crystal said looking down not attempting to move from her spot on the floor. She looked towards North who continued to glare at her. “I thought I _loved_ him, but he doesn’t want me....” she said as tears formed in her eyes. “He wants _you_ but.... he wouldn’t approach you, kept saying that you would return to him.... that you always did, it was your _destiny_ to be together.” She explained as North’s expression turned confused.

“What in the _hell_ are you talking about?” North snapped. “_Who_ are you talking about?”

“Nicolas.” Crystal supplied looking at North expectantly.

“Is that name supposed to mean something to me?” North asked crossing her arms in front of her. “He’s the one who’s been stalking me? And Connor?” She asked. Crystal nodded quickly.

“And you helped him...... because you were in love with him?” Simon asked and Crystal nodded again looking ashamed.

“I thought that if I helped him then he would notice me.... see that I was better for him than you.” She said looking towards North. “So I did what he wanted, everything he asked.” Crystal continued as tears started streaming down her cheeks. “Today I finally asked him, I told him how I felt..... and he.... he just _laughed_ at me.” She said astonishment and anger creeping it’s way into her voice. “I did _everything_ he asked, and he... he told me that I was just a _whore_.” Crystal spat the word like it caused a bad taste in her mouth as she finally stood up from her place on the floor. Looking at North she continued, “He told me that I could never compare to you. I was so _mad_, so _angry_ that he couldn’t see that I cared for him......” she paused turning to look out the window, her voice growing quiet. “Then I realized he already knew... he _knew_ how I felt for him..... and he used that... he used me. I was so angry, I tried to hit him...” she paused as she pulled up her sleeve and exposed her damaged and dented arm. “He told me that he wouldn’t kill me because I had helped him, but that he never wanted to see me again.” She turned to the three others in the room. “I came straight here to warn you, I was afraid that he would come. He was really angry when I left.” She explained.

“Where was he?” Markus asked urgently.

“I left him at the park by Ambassador Bridge.” Crystal answered honestly. “I ran away and hailed a cab, it drove by the park on the way here, he was still there. But I’m sure he’s left by now.” She paused and looked towards the others in the room. “He was working on an EMP device.” She explained quietly.

“What?” Simon asked worriedly. “For what?”

“For North I assume.” She said looking towards North with a worried expression. “It’s a small one, about the size of a half dollar, it would disable one android for a few hours. All he has to do is attach it to you and then activate it.”

“I’ll contact Samuel. He and Andrew can go through the security camera footage to see if Nicolas has entered the building.” Markus said. “We will put the tower on lockdown, no one in or out for the night.”

As he contacted the security team Simon turned to North. “You have no idea who this Nicolas is?” He asked. North sighed and started pacing.

“No! I have no idea!” North said impatiently turning towards Crystal. “Did he say how he knows me?” She asked frustrated.

“No, just that you two were meant for each other. He seems to know you.” Crystal said. “I’m sorry I helped him..... I just wanted him to notice me, but he was so focused on you.”

North made a frustrated noise and turned towards the window and started pacing in front of it. Markus looked towards Simon and then to Crystal. Simon nodded at his unspoken request. “Crystal, let’s go get your arm fixed.” He said quietly nodding towards her damaged arm. “It shouldn’t take too long.” He insisted as he lead her out of the room he turned back to Markus, “I’ll call Connor to let him know we have the identity of their stalker and fill him on as to what’s going on.” He said quietly, Markus nodded his thanks to his boyfriend as he left the room leaving Markus alone with North.

“North, is it possible that Nicolas remembers you from _before_ you deviated?” Markus asked causing North to stop her pacing. Turning she looked at Markus thoughtfully.

“That would be why I can’t remember him.... but if he was at the Eden Club why would he remember me? They made sure all the androids had memory wipes..... also he’s built for construction not companionship.” North resumed her pacing looking out the window. “I mean it’s not unheard of. The club would take androids that weren’t meant for companionship and reprogram them, but with a memory wipe protocol.” She sighed. “It seems unlikely but it would explain a few things.”

“Maybe we can get a few others who were at the club, see if they remember a TR400 there.” Markus suggested kindly. “Maybe Amy or Susan would remember something.” North sighed and nodded in agreement. Markus contacted the two and asked them to please meet him and North at her apartment. A few minutes later there was a soft knock at the door. Markus opened it to let Amy and Susan in.

“Hi, what’s going on?” Amy asked looking worriedly between Markus and North. North sighed and sat down motioning for everyone else to do the same. Once everyone settled North took a deep breath and sighed.

“Do either of you remember a TR400 working at the Eden Club?” She asked. Amy and Susan looked at each other confused.

“What’s this about North?” Susan asked quietly.

“Someone is stalking North and Connor.” Markus explain seriously.

“_What_?!” Amy gasped worriedly.

“What happened?” Susan asked.

“A few weeks ago Connor got an envelope at work, it contained pictures of the two of them together and a letter that directly threatened North if they didn’t end their relationship.” Markus told the two.

“RA9, is that why you two aren’t together anymore?” Amy asked looking towards North who smiled softly.

“Connor thought it would be best if he didn’t come here unless absolutely necessary. To make it appear that we ended our relationship.” North explained her features softening slightly. “He is trying to protect me.”

“So you didn’t break up, thank RA9.” Susan said with a smile.

“No, we didn’t.” North said. “But back to our question, we know who the stalker is. It’s a TR400 named Nicolas. He has said that he knows me, but I don’t remember him at all. The only explanation is that I came in contact with him before I deviated. I know memory wipes aren’t as effective on deviants, and I was wondering if you remembered him at all from the club.” Both deviants frowned slightly thinking back to their time at the Eden Club.

“I don’t remember one. I’m sorry North.” Amy said with regret looking towards Susan who was silent for a moment and gasped suddenly her eyes widened and she looked at North.

“He.....He didn’t work there, but.... he had wealthy owners. The wife liked the large muscular build, so they would come in and bring him with them.” Susan exclaimed. “I remember, it was right after you disappeared. They came in the next day, went into a room, and requested ‘North’ but you weren’t there, so he requested a model like you......” she said motioning to North, “but you were gone and the manager pulled the other models like you off the floor for diagnostics, so the husband picked a different one. I was in the display right by their room. About 10 minutes after she went in I could hear him yelling, something like he wouldn’t have sex with her, she wasn’t the right one. He practically broke the door and ran out of the club yelling that North would come back to him.” Susan ended looking to the others in the room.

North leaned back on the couch frowning. “Damn it!” She exclaimed. “So he thinks we’re meant to be together, but he won’t approach me. I’m supposed to just what? Fucking find him again?” North said getting angry.

“There’s obviously something wrong with him.” Markus stated calmly. “He was probably damaged somehow and couldn’t work construction anymore and was then sold to a private citizen, that’s the only way for a TR400 to be privately owned.” He sighed running a hand down his face. “At least we know now who he is.” He tried reassuring North who grunted angrily.

“Yeah, but we have no idea _where_ he is!” North said as she stood up and stared pacing again. “If there is something wrong with his processor then will he ever _stop_? Even if he’s caught, will he ever stop? Will I have to look over my shoulder forever? Will I ever see Connor....” she stopped as her voice slightly broke. She turned away from the others in the room and stared out the window to compose herself. “I can’t live like this Markus.” She whispered. Markus stood from the couch and came to her side. He quietly put an arm around her.

“You won’t.” He tried to reassure her. “We can run diagnostics and find out if there’s something damaged and then we can fix it.” He said.

“What if he refuses?” North asked sullenly.

“We will cross that bridge when we come to it.” He responded as he didn’t have an answer for her. If Nicolas didn’t want help they couldn’t force it on him.

Amy and Susan stood from the couch and walked over to North. Amy brought her in for a tight hug. “Let’s go to my place. You pick the movie, anything you want.” She said as the hug ended, she grabbed North’s hand and lead her towards the door.

“Let me know if you find anything.” North said to Markus.

“I will, Simon was going to contact Connor with the update.” Markus said.

“Ok, I’ll call him in the morning. He needs to rest. It’s been like two days since he’s gone to rest mode, he had a big case.” North said as Amy lead her out of the room. Markus sighed and bent over to pick up the small cat at his feet.

“I hope this is over soon Cider.” He said as he rubbed the cat’s head. Cider meowed in response. Markus chuckled as he put the cat down on the couch. After making sure her food and water dishes were filled he left the apartment in search of his boyfriend.


	20. Betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crystal arrives at the precinct to help, but is that really what she’s there for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! If you’re still reading thank you. Hope you like this, it wasn’t originally what I had planned, but this is just what happened. I’ll try to update sooner, no guarantees, life is hectic, but I hopefully will get some time to write. I don’t know anything about EMP devices, so I just made it up, and was very vague. Sorry. Hope you like.

Connor paced the floor in his bedroom. Simon had contacted him with the identity of their stalker. Crystal had come forward and told the Jericho leaders everything. She was also agreeable to go to the police station tomorrow morning and take responsibility for her part in this whole mess. Connor desperately wanted to go to North, but the tower was on lockdown for the night. After Connor disconnected with Simon he immediately called Samuel, the head of security for the tower. Samuel assured him that Nicolas was not in the tower. His apartment hadn’t been unlocked in three days, and he hadn’t tried to return to the tower so far tonight. Samuel, knowing what Connor would ask next, told him if Nicolas showed up anywhere near the tower Connor would be his first call.

Sighing in frustration Connor kicked his dresser. The noise startled Snow who raised her head and whined at her owner from her spot on the bed. “Sorry girl.” Connor said as he sat down on the bed beside her. The large dog placed her head on Connor’s lap and sighed contentedly as he started rubbing her ears. He looked up as his door cracked open and a sleepy Hank poked his head in.

“Connor?” Hank questioned in a gravelly voice.

“Sorry Hank, did I wake you?” Connor asked quietly still rubbing Snow’s head.

“It’s ok kid. I’m a light sleeper anyway... what’s wrong? Why aren’t you in rest mode?” He questioned coming fully into the room. Connor moved over on the bed so Hank could sit down beside him. Snow gave a huff as she was dislodged from her owners lap.

“I was, but Simon contacted me.” Connor explained.

“Yeah, about what?” Hank asked more fully awake.

“Crystal showed up at North’s apartment tonight. She wanted to turn herself in. She told North the identity of the stalker.” Connor answered.

“Really? That’s good news, right?” Hank asked

“Yes, it is.... but he’s nowhere to be found. He’s not in the tower, which is good, but we don’t know where he is. The tower is on lockdown for tonight.” Connor stated.

“So who’s the guy stalking you?” Hank asked

“His name is Nicholas.” Connor supplied. “North doesn’t seem to know him, but he’s definitely fixated on her, says he knows her. Apparently they have crossed paths at some point.”

“Do you know him?” Hank asked looking at Connor’s concerned face.

“No.” Connor answered looking towards Hank. “I wish I did, but I have no idea who he is..... but...” He stopped and sighed.

“What is it son?” Hank pushed kindly, knowing something else was bothering Connor.

“It’s just..... is it bad that I feel relieved?” Connor asked looking towards his father figure.

“No, knowing his identity is a big step to finding him.” Hank said slightly confused.

“No, not about that..... I feel relieved that it’s.... not my fault. That he’s not stalking us because of me, and who I was.” Connor said quietly. “I feel relieved, then guilty about feeling relieved.” He said as Hank chuckled beside him.

“Emotions are confusing sometimes. But to answer your question, no it’s not bad. I knew you were worried about this being about your past, so yes you are allowed to be relieved that it’s not. Unfortunately it seems like it’s about North.” Hank said as Connor sighed and nodded. “So you just be there for her.” Hank said as he got up from the bed. “I’m assuming Markus will bring Crystal to the station tomorrow?” Hank asked.

“Yes, Simon said he would.” Connor answered.

“Ok, I’m going back to bed. You go into rest mode.” Hank said, “Staying up worrying about it won’t do you any good, we will question Crystal tomorrow, see where this Nicolas guy hangs out and start looking for him.” Hank said as he yawned. “We’ll get him.” Hank assured him as he made his way to the door.

“Ok.... thanks Hank.” Connor said gratefully.

“No problem kid.” Hank said with a small smile as he shut the door. Connor sighed and laid back down on his bed. Snow jumped back onto the bed and stretched out beside him. Connor smiled as the dog licked his chin and huffed before closing her eyes and going back to sleep, her owner following soon after.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning Hank and Connor arrived at the precinct early. Connor had been antsy at home, and Hank understood his nervous energy so he suggested that they head to work early. Connor went to his desk and turned on his computer as Hank, seeing that Captain Fowler was in his office, made his way to the Captain’s door. Jeffery looked up, surprise on his face at who was on the other side of the door.

“Hank? You’re here early, what’s going on?” He asked as he waved his friend in.

“Yeah, Crystal, the girl who was part of stalking Connor and North, turned herself into the Jericho leaders last night. Markus is bringing her in this morning. She’s going to give her statement and information on the guy behind everything. Connor and North have to decide if they will press charges or not.” Hank said after he sat down heavily in the chair across from his friend.

“Really? You want to listen in on the interview?” Jeffery asked. “Now don’t argue with me, you will _not_ run the interview, neither will Connor.” He said as Hank angrily sighed. “You know you are too close to this.”

“Fine, but I want you to handle it.” Hank reluctantly agreed.

“That’s fine. When will they be here?” He questioned.

“About an hour.” Hank answered looking out the window towards Connor’s desk.

“Alright, I’ll cancel my morning appointment with the mayor.” Jeffery said as he picked up the phone and Hank raised his eyebrows.

“You don’t have to, I guess Gavin or Chris can...” Hank stated only to be interrupted.

“No, he can reschedule. The safety of one of my officers is more important. Besides he’s just trying to get re-elected and making his rounds.” He said as he dialed the number. The mayor’s assistant wasn’t happy about the cancellation but agreed to pass the message on. “Alright, let me know when they’re here.” Jeffery said to Hank as his attention went to his paperwork on his desk.

Hank stood and made his way to the door. “Thanks Jeffery.” He said sincerely causing his old friend to look up. “I owe you one.” Jeffery snorted quietly.

“I figured I owed Connor one, you’re still walking around breathing and being a pain in my ass, so I will do as much as I can to get this guy.” Jeffery said. “Now get out of my office, unless you want to do my paperwork.”

“Fuck no, it’s too early for that shit.” Hank said as he left the office and returned to his desk. About an hour later Markus and Simon entered the building with a scared looking Crystal between them. Hank stood from his desk and walked over and greeted the two Jericho leaders.

“Markus, Simon, the Captain is going to take point on this one.” Hank nodded towards the two. Looking towards the nervous Crystal he nodded. “I’ll show you to an interview room.” Hank said and guided Crystal towards the vacant room. Connor waited until the two had left the room before he got up from his desk and made his way over to his two friends.

“Connor, it’s good to see you.” Simon said with a smile.

“Yes, we all miss your presence at the tower my friend.” Markus added kindly as Connor smiled.

“Well hopefully this will be over soon.” Connor sighed quietly. “How’s North doing?” He asked looking between he two. Markus’s face fell slightly as he thought about his and North’s conversation the previous night.

“She misses you.” Markus supplied with a small frown. “I think this whole thing is getting to her more than she lets on. She’s worried.” He explained.

Connor sighed sadly. “I am too. I thought it would be best to make it look like we were no longer involved with each other. I didn’t want him to get any angrier than he was and do something irrational.” He explained. “I’m not sure it helped though.”

“Well, he hasn’t made anymore threats against you or North. So maybe it has.” Simon said compassionately.

Connor shrugged and sighed again. “I’m not so sure...” Connor trailed off and then shook his head. “I’ll come back to the tower with you guys after the interview. I’m done hiding.” He said with conviction. Markus and Simon both smiled relieved.

“Good.” Markus said as he clapped Connor’s shoulder. Just then Captain Fowler exited the office, he looked over to the three and motioned for the deviants to follow him.

“Connor you can watch the interview from the observation room.” He informed him and turned towards the other two. “You are welcome to watch as well, the more people we have looking for this guy the better.”

“Thank you Captain.” Simon said as Markus nodded.

“Alright, let’s see what Crystal knows.” Jeffery said as he headed towards the interview room. Markus and Simon followed Connor to the observation room. The three entered and Connor was surprised that Hank wasn’t the only one there.

“Hey tin-man. Heard there was a break in the case.” Gavin said as a greeting when the three entered the room.

“Yes, Crystal turned herself in to us last night.” Markus answered as Connor nodded towards him.

“I didn’t expect you to be here Detective Reed.” Connor answered slightly confused as Gavin snorted and shrugged.

“It’s a slow day.” He answered. “And _please_ drop the ‘Detective Reed’ crap. Either Reed or Gavin, you’re going to give me a fucking complex being so fucking polite.” He said not looking at the android but staring straight ahead watching as the Captain entered the interview room. Connor raised his eyebrows in surprise and glanced towards Hank who had the same surprised expression on his face.

“Alright.....Gavin.” Connor said as he stepped closer to the window as Captain Fowler started his interview.

“Alright Crystal, I’m Captain Fowler. I understand you have some information about who is stalking one of the leaders of Jericho and her boyfriend.” Jeffery said looking at the nervous android in front of him. Crystal nodded looking around the room.

“Yes, his name is Nicholas. I love him.” She said quietly.

Simon frowned at Markus confused. “She was so angry last night, said she hated him for using her. What’s changed?” He said softly. Connor and Hank glanced at each other, the information setting everyone in the observation room on edge.

Suddenly looking towards the Captain Crystal narrowed her eyes slightly. “Is Connor here?” She asked cocking her head slightly to the side.

Ignoring her question Jeffery continued with his interview. “Crystal, where is Nicholas? Do you know?” He asked.

“Yes, I know where he is.” Crystal said matter of factly. “He’s a little over five miles from here.” Jeffery narrowed his eyes at her.

“Five miles from here? How can you be sure?” He asked. “I need a location Crystal. He hasn’t done anything yet, but I’m afraid he will do something to hurt someone, or himself. We can’t let that happen.” He said watching the android in front of him for a reaction. Her face seemed to crumble slightly before she shut her eyes and sighed. Everyone watched as she opened her eyes and collected herself.

“Is Connor here?” She questioned again looking towards the mirror on the wall where the others watched from the observation room.

Jeffery narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the deviant in front of him. “Nicholas first Crystal. What’s his location?” He asked again.

“I’ll tell Connor.” Crystal replied still staring at the mirror. Connor took a step towards the door only to be stopped by Hank.

“Let Fowler handle this son.” He said quietly staring into the next room. “Something’s not right here.”

“I know.” Connor agreed looking back to the window. “I don’t have a good feeling Hank.” He said quietly.

“You’re not the only one tin-man.” Gavin said as he watched Crystal intently. All attention turned back to the interview room.

“Connor is not questioning you. I am, and if you don’t start answering me we will detain you, I was under the impression that you actually wanted to help. Connor and North can still press charges against you.” Fowler said in annoyance. Crystal looked up, her face sad.

“It doesn’t matter anymore.” She said despondently.

“And why is that?” Jeffery asked suspiciously. In a move that surprised everyone Crystal sighed and she reached up and deactivate her skin. Jeffery tried to keep he surprise from showing on his face as he watched.

“Crystal, if you’re not going to help us then this interview is over.” He said as he started to rise from the chair.

“Before you go Captain..... do you know what this is?” She asked as she removed her shirt, instead of the white plastic frame of normal androids her chest was covered with silver discs, multiple wires connected each disc together and they all lead into the middle of her chest and to her thirium pump.

“What the hell is that?” Jeffery asked standing slowly from his chair and backing up a step. “Is that some kind of fucking bomb?” He asked his anger getting the best of him. Crystal laughed and shook her head.

“Nicolas made it. His former owners worked for Cyberlife.” She explained as she set her hands on the table in front of her. Connor tensed slightly at the mention of the former company, but stepped closer to the window next to Markus and Simon.

“I don’t care who his fucking owners were.” Jeffery snapped, his hand going to rest on his gun. “You tell me what that is.” He demanded as he held his other hand up to the window in a signal to let him handle this for now.

“They were working on a way to contain the deviant threat.” She continued as if Jeffery hadn’t spoken. “They came up with this.” She motioned to the small discs. Jeffery slowly took his gun from his holster.

“And what exactly is it?” He asked again.

“Don’t worry, it’s not dangerous to humans.” She explained.

“And androids?” Jeffery asked immediately noticing she didn’t mention androids. “Will it hurt androids?” He insisted.

“Not permanently.” She said as she stood from the chair causing Jeffery to raise his weapon. “It’s a EMP device of sorts. It was supposed to completely shutdown deviants, but it was never finished.....but Nicolas, he’s incredibly intelligent, he was able to modify it. I’m not sure of the specifics, but this will just disable....a forced rest mode so to speak, all deviants within a five mile radius.... and do you know what’s a little over four and a half miles from here Captain?” She asked with ice in her voice.

The three deviants in the observation room stumbled back in shock. Markus and Simon looked at each other with fear in their eyes. “New Jericho!” Markus exclaimed as Simon grabbed his hand.

Without warning Crystal’s hand went to her thirium pump regulator and with a quick motion twisted it free from her chest and crushed it in her hand. She laughed as she stumbled to the ground. Looking up at the mirror she spoke. “Once I shut down..... this will....it will go off.... and .... he will... walk right in... and....and take her....” She stuttered as she closed her eyes and put her head down to the floor. Jeffery swore as he exited the room.

“Fuck!” Hank swore and grabbed Connor’s arm, he could feel the deviant shaking under his touch.

“He’s going after North! Hank, he’s going after North!” He said with a terrified look on his face. Gavin swore beside him as Jeffery quickly entered the room.

“Shit, ok tin-man.” Gavin said as he sprinted from the room screaming for Tina and Chris.

Hank turned to Jeffery who quickly guided Markus and Simon to sit in the available chairs. “How long? Can we get you away? ” he started to ask.

“No time.” Simon said looking between Markus and Connor. All three looked scared, Crystal had said it would be a forced rest mode, but there was no guarantee that it wouldn’t shut them down for good.

“Hank...” Connor said looking at the man with wide eyes. Whatever he was going to say next was cut off by a painful sounding gasp as he went ridged for a second before his eyes closed and his legs gave way from under him.

“Shit....” Hank said as he lowered Connor to the floor. He glanced up and saw Simon and Markus slumped in the chairs Jeffery supporting Simon so he didn’t fall to the floor.

“We sure this fucking thing didn’t just _kill_ them?” Jeffery asked agitated looking at the two Jericho leadersas he situated Simon. Hank quickly turned Connor’s head so he could see his LED. He panicked for a second when he saw nothing but a gray ring, but breathed a big sigh of relief when it started to slowly pulse red.

“He’s..... he’s ok. His LED is still going.” Hank said as he slumped against the wall. “Fuck, this was..... what? A setup?” Hank asked looking up towards Jeffery.

“Looks like it, that’s probably why she kept asking for Connor.” Jeffery said. “He’s going after North then.... _shit_.” He swore quietly.

“Gavin was heading that way, he yelled for Tina and Chris.” Hank said looking towards Connor.

“Ok, I’m going to have Taylor and Bruce brought in here. I’m not sure if any other of our android officers were in the building.” Jeffery said as he reached down to help Hank stand. “I want you to stay here.” He raised his hand as Hank opened his mouth to argue. “We have the fucking _leader_ of the revolution unconscious and vulnerable in our precinct. We will _not_ leave him unguarded.” Jeffery said pointing towards Markus. “I’ll be in contact with Reed, I’ll give you updates.” He said as he left the room.

Hank sighed and leaned against the wall and rubbed his eyes trying to stave off the headache that was coming. Looking down at Connor he prayed that Gavin, Chris and Tina made it to North in time.


	21. Kidnapping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> North is taken, and Connor couldn’t protect her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it’s been forever. I had a bunch written, then it all got deleted and I couldn’t bring it back. So I kinda hit a wall then. I would write and then rewrite. This still isn’t they way I want it but oh well. I also decided to homeschool my son, so that has been an adventure. Hope people will still read this, and my next update will be quicker, I promise.

“Shit, shit, shit....” Gavin repeated to himself as he speeds down the streets sirens blaring, Tina and Chris in the car behind him. The tall tower came into view as they raced down the streets. It was November so there weren’t too many people out braving the cold snowy weather, but there were a few on the sidewalks, and most all of them were working together to carry unconscious deviants into the open shops.

“Fuck!” Gavin cried as he quickly slammed on the brakes causing the car to slide slightly with the sudden decrease in speed. The large barrier on the bridge was up blocking their path.

Looking out his passenger window he saw Tina and Chris slide to a stop beside him. Chris was out of the car running to the control tower before the car stopped moving. Swearing under his breath Gavin waited as the barrier slowly started to descend. As soon as he could he started towards New Jericho tower. Pulling up to the front doors he waited for Chris and Tina to park. They all got out of their cars and looked up at the large tower.

“Well, this is a clusterfuck.” Tina said as she pulled her gun from her holster, the guys following suit. “How in the hell are we going to find her in there?” She asked as they started towards the doors.

“They way I see it, we just need to cover the stairs and the elevators.” Chris said. “If he’s here, well he has to get out somehow.”

“True, I’ll take the far stairwell, Chris head to the other, Tina watch the elevators.” Gavin said giving out assignments. “If you hear anything you radio for backup. Do not engage this guy alone. He’s obsessed and desperate. He will hurt us to get away.” 

Both nodded as they entered the building. Tina swore quietly under her breath as they saw the unconscious androids spread throughout the lobby. Stepping over them he three made their way to their agreed upon positions. Gavin ran quietly to the far stairwell and opened the door. Listening intently he heard nothing from the floors above. Moving slowly he climbed the stairs keeping his gun raised and ready. Suddenly his radio came to life. “I’ve got movement in the lobby.” Tina’s voice broke the quiet tension. “Everyone is starting to wake up.”

“Fuck.” Gavin whispered to himself. Grabbing his radio he answered. “He’s gone then, we were too late. Chris, met up in the lobby. Let’s see if we can figure out where this guy went.” He said as he holstered his weapon and started down the stairwell toward the lobby. Exiting the door he made his way over to Tina and Chris. Slowly there were deviants waking up and looking around curiously. Many looked over at the three humans with fear and suspicion. As Tina called the station to relay the message and request technical assistance Gavin turned to the growing number of deviants in the lobby.

“We are officers with the Detroit police department.” Gavin said with a raised voice as he raised his badge for them to see. “There was an attack of some sort. A deviant in custody at the station activated a device that forced every deviant in a five mile radius into rest mode.” He explained to the confused deviants. “Please if everyone could stay put for the time being, we have more officers on the way and technicians also if you need any assistance. This is an ongoing investigation so nobody leaves the tower right now. If anyone needs assistance please let us know. Thank you for your cooperation.” Gavin said as he turned back to Tina and Chris. Just then the elevator doors opened and Josh stepped out into the lobby.

“Officers!” He called as he jogged over to them.“What’s going on?” He asked as he got to the three.

“Crystal was taken to the precinct for questioning this morning. The bitch had a modified EMP device attached to her. Nicholas made it, she set it off and it forced all deviants in a five mile radius into rest mode.” Gavin explained quickly.

“What? Why?” Josh asked confusion lacing his tone. “Why would they do that?”

“We were lead to believe that Nicolas was close to the tower, that he was coming for North.” Chris said quietly. Josh’s eyes widened in fear as he looked between the three officers.

“She’s not answering my calls...” Josh said slightly panicked.

“Josh!” The group turned toward the call as Susan and Amy ran up to them. “North is gone! She was with us, and then.... we just woke up on the floor and she was gone.” Amy said panicking as she grabbed ahold of Josh’s shirt sleeve desperately. “The door to the apartment was open when we woke up, someone broke it, it was locked, someone just broke the door to get in... and North was just gone.” She said.

“Shit.” Gavin said as he got his phone out. Turning towards Josh he asked. “We have more officers and technicians on the way if anyone needs assistance we can help. We also need to look over the security footage. Maybe we can see which way he went.” He said.

“Of course.” Josh said. Gavin nodded to Chris and Tina.

“You two go, I need to call the Captain and give him an update.” Gavin said holding up his phone and jogging towards the front door. Once he was out of the building he sighed and called Captain Fowler to give him the unfortunate update.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hank sighed again as he sat in the chair looking around the room at the unconscious deviants, watching for signs of them waking up. There was a soft groan from Markus as the deviant brought his hand up to his head. Hank was immediately on his feet and beside the confused Jericho leader.

“Markus, you ok son?” Hank asked quietly as the deviant blinked and looked around his surroundings.

“Yeah, I’m.... I’m alright.” Markus said as he sat up straight. “How long were we out?” He questioned Hank as Simon began to stir beside him.

“About forty five minutes now.” Hank said looking at the clock on the wall making his way over toward Connor on the floor. “Connor, you ok?” He questioned his son as he groaned. Hank helped Connor sit up from the floor.

“Hank?” Connor questioned holding his head.

“Right here son.” Hank answered rubbing the deviants back. “You ok?” He questioned worry working it’s way into his voice as Connor groaned quietly still holding his head.

“Yeah, my head hurts, but I’ll be ok.” He said quietly. He suddenly looked up panic in his eyes. “North?”

“Haven’t heard anything.” Hank said as he helped Connor to his feet. Everyone in the room turned as Captain Fowler entered with an unhappy look. As his eyes landed on Conner he shook his head sadly, Connor immediately deflated and squeezed his eyes shut as the realization that Nicolas had succeeded in his plan to abduct North.

“Gavin contacted me, they are looking over the security camera footage from the tower. The just missed him. They are trying to put together footage from traffic cameras to see if they can find where he took her.” Fowler explained.

“Shit!” Hank exclaimed turning to smack the wall behind him. “We played right into his plan. We should have known something was wrong when she kept asking where Connor was!” Hank said angrily.

Simon and Markus had come to stand beside Connor to support the deviant. “There has to be something we missed.” Simon said quietly.

“We will send some of our people out to look for them.” Markus said. “There are plenty of known hiding places for deviants, it would be easier for our people to check those places than the police.” Markus said looking toward the Captain who sighed.

“I can’t ask anyone to put themselves in harm’s way.” He said with a frown.

“Our people won’t engage, just keep an eye out. If they see them I’ll have them contact the police or me immediately.” Markus assured.

“Please Captain Fowler.” Simon added “North is one of us, and our people are very loyal to each other. We want to help.”

“Alright, fine. But make sure everyone knows to not engage Nicolas.” Fowler said, eyes lingering on Connor. “We will find her Connor.”

“Thank you Captain.” Connor whispered emotionally looking towards him with anguished eyes.

“I’ll contact Josh, he can coordinate things from there at the tower. Keep our people moving and send over any and all information to here.” Simon said as he closed his eyes to establish the connection.

Markus nodded and closed his eyes and sent a message out to some trusted deviants with instructions and locations to look. And to report back to Josh with information, and if they found North to contact the police department immediately. 

Once that was done Hank lead the three out towards Connor’s desk. He gently guided the distraught deviant into his chair and nodded to the other two. “I’m going to call Reed, see what they know and have everything sent here. Keep an eye on him please.” He said as he walked toward the break room leaving the three deviants alone. Connor who had been quiet since waking sighed and turned on his computer.

“Ok, let’s get started.” He said to the two as he pulled up all information on Crystal and Nicolas. They all three held on to the hope that the would find North unharmed soon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

North immediately knew something was wrong before she opened her eyes. A feeling of dread built up as she realized she was laying in a bed, that was not her own. The sheets felt scratchy against her skin, and the air felt oppressive with heaviness and dust. Opening her eyes she took in the familiar surroundings with a horrified gasp. The lights were on, but were dim casting the room in a faint red tint. The room in the recently shut down and abandoned Eden Club looked the same as in her nightmares. Bolting up on the bed she frantically looked around the room trying to figure out how she came to be there. She stumbled out of the bed and over to the door and tried to open it and cut off a slight sob as it was locked. Turning back she stumbled back and sat on the edge of the bed and faced the door. Taking a big breath North calmed her racing thoughts and take in her current situation.

She was back in the Eden Club with no memory of how she had gotten there. She was pretty sure it had to do with Nicolas, but what was he hoping to accomplish?

As if reading her thoughts the door opened and the large android entered the room with a warm smile on his face. North looked guarded at him and stood up from the bed and backed away a few steps.

“North, I’m glad I was able to get you away from everyone so we could talk alone.” Nicolas said looking excitedly at North who narrowed her eyes slightly.

“You could have just asked me to speak to you, I wouldn’t have refused.” North said trying to stay calm eyes darting from Nicolas to the open door. Nicolas chuckled slightly, as if they were having a normal conversation and he hadn’t just kidnapped her and taken her to a place that held no good memories for her.

“Now we both know that’s not true North.” He said is a chiding tone shaking his head. “You have never been alone lately, always have someone with you. I have to say that I’m glad you stopped hanging around the deviant hunter.” His cheery voice grew cold and his face became hard as he spit out the hated name. North cringed slightly, then looked angrily at the android in front of her.

“You mean Connor. His name is Connor.” She said harshly her anger getting the best of her. Glaring at Nicolas, all her anger seemed to come to the surface. It was this androids fault that she hadn’t physically seen Connor in almost a month, his fault that she hadn’t seen Connor’s face, his smile, his eyes light up when she would say ‘I love you’. It was Nicolas’s fault that she felt this hole in her being from not being able to touch, hug or kiss the one she loved.

The rational part of her mind suggested that she should remain calm and not to anger the large deviant in front of her, but she was not thinking rationally. She was angry, and a rage filled her. She stepped forward and raised her voice. “You are the reason I haven’t been able to see him. He’s staying away from me because of you!” She yelled breathing heavily.

Nicolas stepped back surprise on his face. “The deviant hunter isn’t for you..... I am.” He tried to explain. “Don’t you see North? Everything I did for you? I got him to leave you alone, I brought you back here.” He said gesturing to the horrid room they were in. “I brought you to where we first met, where we made love, where you told me you loved me.” He said desperation coloring his tone. “You told me that I was the only one for you and you loved me. You submitted to me on that bed time and time again. You let my owners watch us make love, you always begged for me to never leave you. Why are you being like this?” Nicolas asked looking confused. North stumbled back at hearing his rant feeling sick with herself.

“I said all those things because I was told to say them Nicolas. None of it was real. I don’t even remember you, or anything we did here. My memory was wiped everyday. I don’t know you.” She said trying to get through to the android.

“What? No no no no....NO!” Nicolas cried looking anguished. “I love you North. You have to see that, you have to remember.” He said as he walked closer to her. “Let me show you, you.... you will remember then.” He said as he closed the gap between them and grabbed her arm. North struggled as he pushed her toward the bed.

“NO! NO STOP!” She cried trying to strike him with her free hand. He grabbed her wrist before she could land the hit and forced her on the bed. Thrashing in his grip North cried “Please STOP!” Nicolas looked at her confused before he leaned down and tried to kiss her. North turned her head so he kissed her cheek. Getting annoyed he grabbed her chin and turned her head towards him. He kissed her forcefully as she struggled and pushed against him.

North’s whole being screamed at her how wrong this was, that this touch was not what she wanted. She wanted Connor and his soft caress and gentle kisses that he would trail up her back, his hands that would hold her like she was the most important person in the world, and his lips on hers that would whisper a soft ‘I love you’ before going into rest mode for the evening. So she fought with everything she had to get the large android who wasn’t Connor off of her.

Nicolas suddenly stopped and pushed himself angrily up from the bed. “NO! Why are you struggling? You aren’t supposed to struggle!” He said as he started pacing the room. North sat up slowly on the bed.

“Nicolas, I’m sorry. I really don’t remember you, and there’s noting you can do to make me remember you.” North said gently trying to get the deviant to see reason.“My memory was wiped everyday, the memories of us together are gone.” She told him standing up from the bed.Turning, Nicolas looked desperately at her.

“We can make new memories then.” He said, his voice taking on a manic tone. “You will love me, I know it.” He nodded as he talked.

“No Nicolas, I won’t.” North said coolly. “I didn’t have a choice when I was with you, I was programmed to act like I was in love with you. It wasn’t real. I won’t fall in love with you if you hold me here, it’s not what I want.” North said.Nicolas looked at her and his gaze hardened.

“It’s that deviant hunter isn’t it. Connor.” He said as he stalked towards her. He grabbed her arm as she tried to run around the bed away from him. “He’s the reason you’re acting like this, isn’t it?” He said as he dragged her from the room.

“Connor has nothing to do with this. Nicolas be reasonable.” North said harshly as he pulled her over to one of the dark display tubes in the wall. “You can’t just force someone to love you, it doesn’t work that way.” She again tried to reason with the deviant as he pushed her into an open tube. Pushing the button he sealed her in as she tried to stop the tube.

“Nicolas, you can’t just keep me here. This isn’t the way to get someone to love you. You have to see that.” She tried again as Nicolas stepped away from the closed display tube. “Let me out of here and we can talk.”

“No.” Nicolas said, “No more talking. I’ll show you I’m better for you. You will see.” He said more to himself as he walked towards the exit.

“Nicolas! LET ME OUT OF HERE!” North screamed and pounded on the glass as he walked out the door. “NO!” She pounded on the glass in frustration as he left. Knowing that there was no way to open the glass North immediately tried to contact Connor with no success. Something was preventing communication. North slumped against the glass and suppressed the urge to cry. She continued to try to contact someone, hoping that she would get through to someone who could help her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Connor paced the floor nervously by his desk his LED spinning yellow. He had been trying to contact North since he his systems had come back online. Unable to get through to her he became restless as the minutes ticked by.

“We will find her Connor.” Markus said quietly to the distressed deviant. “We have people all over the city looking for her.” He tried to sound reassuring, but it was falling on deaf ears.

“Markus, what if we find her too late. She won’t give him what he wants, you know that. She’s too stubborn. What if he hurts her?” He snapped never stopping his pacing. “Damit!” He cursed. “She isn’t answering when any of us call. So she is either in a place where something is blocking our signal, unconscious or....” Connor trailed off unable to verbalize his fear.

“She’s ok Connor.” Simon said quietly trying to ease his friends worry. “She has to be, she’s too stubborn to be anything else.”

Hank returned to his desk just as Gavin, Chris and Tina returned to the bullpen. “Hank, we went over the security tapes. He didn’t give himself a lot of time from when he left to when everyone started waking up.” Gavin said as he walked up to the group.

“It was about a fifteen minute window. So he has to be somewhere still in the city.” Tina said. “We haven’t gotten the van on any of the freeway cameras, so we know he’s within city limits. We just need to narrow down the places he has to hide.” She explained as he brought up a map of the city. Everyone surrounded it and studied the highlighted areas that he could be in.

“There are around forty abandoned buildings in the search area. We should start there.” Gavin said looking towards Hank. “This fucker can’t hide.” Hank nodded and looked toward Connor.

“Ok, take this to Fowler. Then we can get patrol and extra guys in for the search.” Hank agreed. The tree detectives left, each with a sympathetic look for Connor as they proceeded to the captains office.

“There’s a high probability that we won’t find her in time. If he’s unstable, he will kill her when he doesn’t get what he wants.” Connor said quietly.

“Don’t say that Connor. You know she’s a survivor, she will do what she can to keep herself alive until we can find her.” Hank said.

“And what if we are too late?” Connor whispered heart brokenly.

“That’s not an option.” Hank said. Just then Fowler stuck his head out of his office door and called for Hank. Patting Connor on the shoulder he walked towards the office leaving the three deviants alone.

Still pacing Connor started to feel like the building was closing around him. He suddenly felt the need to be outside the building. “I.... I need some air. I’ll be back shortly.” He said to Simon and Markus.

“Do you want some company?” Markus asked compassionately.

“No... but thank you. I just need to clear my head, I’ll only be a few minutes.” Connor said as he walked towards the back exit to the parking lot behind the building. Markus and Simon watched him leave with hearts hurting for their friend.

“We need to find her quickly.” Simon said looking back to the map.

“Yes we do.” Markus agreed and joined Simon in examining the abandoned buildings. Something was there, he was sure he was missing something, he just needed to find it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nicolas swore quietly to himself as he drove to his destination. Becoming angrier by the moment his driving became more erratic as he sped down side streets and alleyways to avoid traffic cameras.

He had been so certain that once he took North to ‘their room’ that she would love him, but she just didn’t see all the effort that he had put into his plan. She didn’t understand what he would do for her. So he was determined to show her. He would prove the depth of his love for her.

“She will see, she will understand how much I love her. Then she will love me.” He said to the empty car with an evil smile spreading across his face. Slowing the van as so not to attract unwanted attention he approached his destination. Pulling into the parking space he looked around and spotted exactly what he wanted. “Well, this will be easy.” He said as he opened the door and walked confidently to his goal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully you enjoyed it. Please leave a message if you are still reading, I welcome constructive feedback, but if you hate it just please keep your comments to yourself, I will cry. Thanks for reading, I will update soon, we are getting to the end of this massive journey in a few more chapters, and I feel like I have my writing mojo back. I lost it for a while and was very sad.


	22. Another kidnapping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicolas takes Connor. North and Connor are reunited, but for how long?

Connor took a few deep breaths as he stood in the parking lot outside the precinct. Trying to clear his head he grabbed his coin from his pocket and ran through his routine a couple times before returning it to it’s rightful place. “Ok, where could he have taken her?” He said to himself. Reviewing the information he had his eyes suddenly widened as a thought popped into his head. There was only one place that North and Nicolas had any connection, and it had been shut down after the revolution and the building had been abandoned. It was also in the search radius of where they were looking. “He.... he took her to the club.” Connor whispered to himself as he turned towards the building and started quickly towards the door.

Before he could get there a strong hand closed around his arm and yanked him backwards and threw him to the ground. Unprepared for the sudden assault Connor landed heavily on his back. Looking up at his attacker his eyes narrowed as he glared towards the large deviant standing over him. Quickly getting to his feet he advanced on Nicolas with ferocity and speed born from his anger. Nicolas was larger and was built to be sturdy due to his profession, so it was a close match. As Connor landed a hard right hook to his opponents face he yelled “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER?”

Nicolas who had landed on the ground with a surprised grunt smiled slowly. “I’m going to show her how much I love her. She will see that I am going to protect her from everyone.” He slowly stood up. “But we need to get back to her, I’m sure she finds her current accommodations... stressful.” He explained. “Her stress levels were awfully high when I left her.”

“What?” Connor asked stepping backwards. “What did you do? Where is North?” He asked becoming slightly panicked.

“Doesn’t matter. If you don’t come with me now you will never find her.” Nicolas said stepping toward Connor again. Connor then pulled his gun and pointed it toward the approaching deviant stopping him in his tracks. “You wouldn’t shoot me. You need me, you don’t know where she is.” He said confidently with a smirk.

“Eden Club.” Connor said flatly watching as Nicolas’s smirk dropped off his face. “It’s obviously the only place that has meaning to you. Of course you would take her there, where you violated her.” Connor continued angrily.

“I NEVER HURT HER!” Nicolas said suddenly charging at Connor who pulled the trigger, the bullet striking the oncoming deviant in the chest but it did little to slow him down. He tackled Connor to the ground with such force that the gun toppled from his hand as they hit the ground. The back of Connor’s head connected hard with the concrete stunning the detective. Groaning as pain spiked through his head Connor reached his hand to feel where his head hit the ground. Feeling a slick substance in his hair Connor brought his hand to look and saw his fingers blue with thirium. Blinking rapidly Connor tried to get through the haze of pain he felt and the damage warnings taking up his vision. He felt Nicolas grab the handcuffs off his belt and roughly turn him over on his stomach. Grabbing his arms Nicolas forced them behind Connor’s back and and restrained him with the cuffs.

Pulling the dazed deviant to his feet he quickly dragged Connor towards the white van a few spaces away. Just as he opened the back door and threw Connor inside the door to the precinct opened and officers with guns drawn spilled into the parking lot having heard the earlier gunshot. Nicolas quickly jumped into the front and started the van and gunned it out of the parking lot while the officers opened fire at the van.

“HOLD YOUR FIRE!” Fowler yelled angrily as the van quickly exited the lot and down the street. Hank swearing as he turned to Jeffery.

“Shit. He took Connor! Jeffery, right from under our noses! Fuck!” Hank said trying to calm his racing thoughts. “FUCK!” He yelled to the sky as he turned and noticed the discarded gun on the ground. Hank picked up the recently fired weapon and marched back into the building. He raced to his desk to grab his keys as Markus and Simon looked from Connor’s desk.

“Hank?” Markus asked concern lacing his tone as Hank slammed the drawer shut in frustration.

“Nicolas has Connor. Bastard took him right from the back parking lot!” Hank hissed as he turned towards the two.

“What?” Markus asked as Simon gasped beside him.

“Do you guys have any idea on a location yet?” Hank asked as Jeffery entered the building talking on his radio to put an APB on the van and request extra patrols in the area to look for it. Numerous officers had taken off from the parking lot to look for the suspect but he had disappeared down the road by the time they had gotten to their cars and out on the street.

“Hank, you’re not going out. You’re too close to this. I’m not having you out there in this condition.” Fowler said compassionately

“Fuck you Jeffery! Fuck you! I have to go! He’s my son damnit!” He said stepping into Jeffery’s personal space.

“That’s exactly why you need to stay here.” Jeffery said. “You are thinking as a father, not a cop. It will get you or Connor killed. We have every available cop looking. We have contacted the neighboring precincts and they are looking too. Nicolas can’t hide. We will find him.”

“Will we find him in time?” Hank asked desperately. “I can’t do this again Jeffery.”

“We will find him.” Jeffery repeated. Looking towards the two Jericho leaders he asked, “Have you heard anything from your contacts? Any locations stand out?”

“We were trying to narrow it down.” Simon said as he turned back to the map. “I know we are missing something, the answer is here, I just don’t know what it is.” He said quietly to himself staring intently at the map. The tension in the precinct grew more intense as the minutes past with no updates coming in. After thirty minutes Hank looked towards Jeffery.

“There has to be something Jeffery! He can’t have just disappeared!” He exclaimed angrily.

“Hank, everyone is on the street looking for him, we will find something. You need to stay here.” He said, leaving no room for arguments.

“Here!” Simon said pointing to the map. Markus looked and swore quietly.

“RA9, it’s obvious, I should have seen it before.” He said looking to Hank. “The Eden Club was shut down a few months ago and abandoned. It’s the only place that connects North and Nicolas together.”

“So there’s a good chance that he’s taken North and Connor there.” Jeffery said as he grabbed his radio and ordered all available units to the abandoned club. Hank looked towards the two androids and waved his hand at them.

“Come on, let’s go.” He said as he quickly made his way towards the door.

“Hank, keep them out of the building until this is over.” Jeffery said as he made his way out of the building to his own car. Climbing in Jeffery put his lights and sirens on and rushed towards their destination, hoping the sinking feeling in his gut was wrong and that this day wouldn’t end with tragedy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Connor closed his eyes and breathed deeply to try to clear his pounding headache. Laying on the floor of the old work van, discarded tools rolling around, Connor did his best to stabilize himself with his arms restrained behind his back. Thirium was still bleeding from the back of his head running down his neck, staining the collar of his shirt blue. Straining against the handcuffs Connor attempted to weaken the reinforced cuff to get his hands free knowing they would soon be at their destination.

Looking toward the drivers seat where Nicolas was driving Connor noticed the other deviant seemed to be struggling. Scanning the other Connor discovered that Nicolas was injured. His thirium was dropping along with his thirium pressure. Connor’s bullet had lodged itself close to his thirium pump, damaging the pump to create a substantial leak. Connor’s estimation was that Nicolas would only be functional for about forty eight minutes if he didn’t get technical assistance.

“Nicolas, you need assistance. You have been injured.” Connor said his voice stronger than he felt. Nicolas laughed gravely as he stopped the van.

“I’m going to make her love me. I need to show her that I am going to do whatever it takes to take care of her.” He explained to Connor with a smile.

“How will you take care of her if you shutdown?” Connor asked. “You need help..”

“ENOUGH TALKING!” Nicolas yelled as he quickly exited the vehicle. A few seconds later the rear door opened forcefully and Nicolas reached in and wrapped a large hand around Connor’s ankle and dragged him backwards towards the exit. Before he could drag Connor out to the ground Connor used his free leg and kicked the larger deviant in the face. Stunned, Nicolas stumbled backward and landed hard on the ground. Connor quickly climbed out of the van and turned towards the closed building.

Running towards the door Connor swore quietly as he heard Nicolas behind him. Turning around to face the enraged deviant Connor didn’t have time to dodge the deadly blow that was previously aimed for his back. Connor stumbled backwards and gasped as intense pain blossomed in his chest.

Looking down Connor was surprised to see the handle of a screwdriver sticking out of his chest. Blood started seeping around the object imbedded there, quickly staining his white shirt blue. Coughing suddenly thirium sprayed from his mouth, and he realized that the screwdriver punctured his ventilation biocomponent. The intense pain making it hard to think, Connor could only try to breath as Nicolas grabbed the screwdriver and yanked it out causing Connor to cry out in pain as thirium started running steadily from the wound. Connors knees buckled with the pain and he hit the ground hard. Nicolas looked down disgusted at the injured android. Reaching down he hauled Connor to his feet and forced him into the building.

“She will..... see now...... she will see and... love me.” Nicolas was whispering to himself as he drug Connor further into the building. Looking around the dimly lit space Connor heard a muffled yell come from the display cases in front of him. He looked up as Nicolas roughly shoved him down to the floor.

North immediately looked up when the door to the room opened and immediately cried out with the scene before her. Nicolas had Connor by the arm and was dragging him into the room. Throwing him to the floor Connor landed hard on his side facing North.

“CONNOR!” North screamed pounding on the glass barrier between them. Connor looked up toward her and slowly brought himself to his knees. Seeing his white dress shirt rapidly turning blue caused a fear in North that she had never experienced before. Turning fearful eyes to Nicolas, North pleaded with him. “Please, please no. I’ll do whatever you want, just please leave him alone. We can run away, go wherever you want, just please let Connor go.” She said as Nicolas laughed and ignored her cries.

“You chose this...” He said gesturing to Connor kneeling on the floor in front of him “over ME!”Nicolas yelled at North enraged. “This.... this thing that hunted us. How could you choose him?” He asked looking toward North with what seemed to be disgust. “He is NOTHING!” He yelled again and grabbed a fist full of Connors hair and pulled his head up causing Connor to grimace and North to cry out. “I will show you I’m better.” He said as he raised his other hand still holding the screwdriver.

“NO NO NO!” North sobbed pounding on the thick glass keeping her imprisoned. Nicolas, not caring about her tears, brought the screwdriver down and imbedded it into Connor’s chest again. “CONNOR!” North screamed, she felt her heart break as Connor cried out in pain and was roughly pushed to the floor. Thirium steadily running from both stab wounds his shirt was more blue than white at this point.

Fighting through the pain Connor struggled to look through his hazy vision. Hearing North screaming for him he tried to find her but was unable to focus due to the numerous warnings taking up his vision.

** _Warning: Right ventilation biocomponent damaged, 15% functionality. Seek technical assistance immediately_ **

** **

** _Warning: Current temperature 101.8, start cooling measures. Seek technical assistance immediately_ **

** **

** _Warning: Thirium pump damaged, 60% functionality. Seek technical assistance immediately_ **

** **

** _Warning: Thirium pressure decreasing. Replenish thirium supply immediately. Seek technical assistance._ **

** **

** _Warning: Shutdown in 00:10:58 if no preventative measures taken._ **

Connor closed his eyes and fought through his fog of pain. The screwdriver in his chest had pierced his thirium pump. Knowing that he couldn’t leave North alone with Nicolas he fought and dismissed the numerous warnings clouding his vision. Suddenly Nicolas, who was paying no attention to Connor now, was walking towards the tube that imprisoned North in front of Connor. North’s eyes were glued to Connor and she was still screaming for him and pounding on the glass. Focusing on the task he needed to do Connor quickly brought his hands together and he grabbed his left thumb. He quickly dislocated it and slipped it out of the handcuff. With his hands free Connor pushed himself to his feet just as Nicolas was opening the display tube. North’s muffled screams became clear as he grabbed her and drug her from the tube.

“NO! I HATE YOU!! I HATE YOU!” She screamed pounding on Nicolas’s chest. Angry Nicolas shoved her against the tube and wrapped his big hand around her throat. Struggling against him North fought to break his hold as he started to squeeze her airway closed.

“Stop! You were supposed to love me!” Nicolas screamed as North struggled.

Connor, seeing North struggling, knowing what he had to do, immediately grabbed the screwdriver with his functional hand and yanked it out of his chest. Immediately numerous warnings popped up in his vision, blinking them away Connor gasped quietly he quickly rushed forward and drove the screwdriver into the base of Nicolas’s skull. Nicolas immediately lost his strength and stumbled to the side his hands dropping from North as he fell. Gasping North looked up towards Connor. Her eyes widened as he stumbled slightly towards her. “North...” he whispered quietly.

“Connor!” North sobbed as she grabbed him in a fierce hug. Wrapping his arms around his sobbing love Connor closed his eyes, a few tears leaking out down his cheeks. Connor felt his strength starting to leave him as his legs give way beneath him. North held him tightly and helped lower him to the ground. “Connor, how bad....” she asked as she laid him down on the ground.

“I..... I don’t...” Connor’s voice broke slightly as he coughed causing thirium to run out of his mouth. Taking a breath and swallowing to clear his throat he grabbed North’s hand in his. “I don’t have much time.” He said quietly as he squeezed her hand and looked her in the eyes.

“No, Connor no. We can get help, just tell me what I need to do and I’ll do it, please don’t leave me.” North sobbed. Connor squeezed his eyes shut causing a few tears to run down his cheeks. North gently put her hand on his cheek, Connor leaned into it and opened his eyes to look at her.

“North.... please take care of Hank, don’t let him be alone.” He pleaded with her. North closed her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks and nodded. “He..... he can’t be alone.” Connor insisted quietly.

“He won’t be, I promise.” North said through her tears. “He won’t be alone.”

“Tell him, that he was a good father, and I’m sorry...” Connor paused as his voice stopped working. Concentrating Connor pushed out “Sorry for leaving him.”

“Connor, please stay.” North pleaded as if she wished it hard enough it would come true.

“I want to stay with you.... I love you North.” Connor whispered as his LED started to dim.

“I love you too, so much. I didn’t think I would ever love someone, and then you came and... RA9 Connor.” She sobbed.

“Promise me you will take care of yourself, don’t be afraid to love.... please” Connor said, static starting to creep into his voice.

“I promise, I don’t know how I will go on without you, but I promise.” North sobbed looking into his eyes as they started to lose focus. “We were supposed to go on adventures together, you and me...” she stopped as her tears won and she couldn’t continue.

“You and.... me....against the world.” Connor whispered quietly with a smile. Closing his eyes he slipped into emergency status mode. North sobbed as his LED started to dim and eventually went out.

“No, it’s not fair. IT’S NOT FAIR!” North screamed her anger coming full force. “YOU CAN’T LEAVE ME!” She screamed and then broke down. “You can’t.....” she sobbed and brought her hands up to her face and sobbed into her hands.

She didn’t know how long she sat there, could have been minutes or hours, before she heard the front door burst open and officers rushed into the building. She didn’t move from her spot next to Connor, keeping her eyes on his face, her hand on his cheek she cried silently. She looked up as officers rushed into the room guns raised.

It was Gavin, Tina and Chris who entered first. All three stopped and took in the scene before them. Nicolas laying on his side with a screwdriver in the back of his head, North sitting on the floor, tears continuously running down her cheeks. She was sitting beside Connor, who was laying on the floor, his eyes closed and his white shirt stained blue, along with a large puddle of thirium forming around his unmoving body. 

Lowering their guns Tina was the first to move. She walked quickly forwards towards North as Gavin and Chris made sure Nicolas was dead.

“North, is he....” Tina stopped talking as she saw the gray LED. Putting her hand on top of Connor’s chest she sighed sadly as she felt his still chest under her hand. Looking up she met Gavin’s questioning eyes and sadly shook her head. Chris, seeing her expression, swore quietly and stepped away to compose himself. Gavin stepped beside his partner just as Captain Fowler walked in the room. Stopping suddenly taking in the scene in front of him he swore as his eyes landed on Connor on the floor.

“Fuck, God no.” He said his face angry. “Shit. Is there anything we can do?” He asked.

“No.” North whispered despondently.

“Hank is outside.....” He whispered to himself. “This is going to kill him.” He said as Tina stood slowly. “He shouldn’t see him like this.” He added looking at the condition Connor was in. North suddenly let out a small sob causing the officers to quiet in sympathy. Leaning down North placed one last kiss on Connor’s unmoving lips.

“Goodbye Connor. I love you, and I will keep my promise, both of them.” She said and stood up. She started to walk towards the door and stumbled slightly. Jeffery caught and steadied her.

“Just lean on me.” He said quietly as he helped her towards the front of the building. Stepping out into the sun she looked around at all the officers and her eyes landed on Markus, Simon and Hank. They all looked at her as they approached and their faces shifted from worried to shocked.

Hanks eyes widened and he paled when he saw her alone being supported by Jeffery. Looking down North just realized that she was covered in thirium, Connor’s blood. Looking back up to the man her face crumbled and she walked straight to Hank and wrapped her arms around the man. She buried her face into his shoulder as his arms slowly came up around her. She could feel his breathing hitch as the horrible conclusion came to him. Tightening her arms around him as his knees gave out they kneeled on the ground holding each other in their shared grief.

“I’m sorry.... I couldn’t help.... I’m sorry.” North whispered quietly into the man’s shoulder. Hank nodded and his breathing hitched unable to say anything. North leaned back so she could see his face. His eyes were full of anguish and tears threatening to fall. “He asked me to tell you....” she stopped as a small sob rose, composing herself she tried again. “He said that you are a good father, and he’s sorry for leaving you.” She said. As soon as the words were out of her mouth Hank crumbled into grief. Sobbing openly he brought his hand to his face and cried. North immediately wrapped her arms around him and sobbed with him. She was determined to keep her last promises to Connor, it would be hard, but she would take care of herself and Hank would not be alone. As much as she wanted to close her eyes and escape this living nightmare, she would continue on, for Connor. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look another chapter! Leave a comment if you like it, any mistakes are mine. Thanks for reading, more coming soon.


	23. Renewed Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeffery Fowler checks on Hank and gets a surprise visitor.

“Elijah! Somethings happened.” Chloe said as she hurried into Elijah Kamski’s home office. Looking up fondly towards the deviant he raised an eyebrow and smiled.

“You’re going to have to be more specific than that my dear....” he said but trailed off as Chloe literally physically pushed him out of the way so she could have access to his computer. Closing what he was working on she started typing furiously.

“The system notified me that there was a large data transfer taking place, I was afraid someone was hacking our systems, but then this started taking over any and all available memory we have. It has your old Cyberlife signature.” She said and turned the computer towards Elijah to look over.

Elijah studied the screen for a moment, his eyes widened once he realized what he was looking at. “Chloe, do we have enough memory space to accommodate the transfer?” He asked. Chloe stopped and was quite for a moment.

“I’m unsure.” She finally stated.

“Clear whatever you need to quickly. Clear _everything_ if you need to, start with the oldest projects and work forward, just make sure we have enough room, but we need to do it _fast_.” He said as he got up and hurried from the room. “I need to make a few phone calls.” He said as he left.

“Yes Elijah, of course.” Chloe said as she tapped into the system and stared clearing memory space for the unusual transfer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jeffery Fowler sighed as he sat at his office desk and sighed again as he glanced at the clock on the wall stating the late hour. The night shift had started a few hours ago but he couldn’t make himself leave his office. Looking out the glass wall towards the two empty desks he looked at the sympathy cards, prayer candles and pictures that adorned Connor and Hank’s desks. The mood at the station for the past two days had been very somber. It was quiet, and the crimes against android division was struggling. Tina and Gavin were snapping at each other, and Chris and Bruce were overworking themselves trying to keep everyone together and working double shifts to keep the unit afloat.

Looking at the desks the events from two days ago kept replaying over in Jeffery’s head. Especially when the precinct technician, Kyle, had brought Connor’s body out of the club.

Every officer fell silent when Kyle wheeled the cart with the body bag from the building. Hank, being supported by Markus and Simon, insisted on seeing Connor. Kyle gently unzipped the body bag to allow Hank to see Connor’s face.

“Shit kid....” Hank sobbed as he ran his hand through Connor’s hair as if to comfort the deviant. “I’m so.... so sorry Connor.... I’m sorry son....” he whispered as he broke down again in tears. Simon guided the Lieutenant back towards North as Markus stayed by Connor’s body for a few seconds. Markus looked down at his friend and his eyes seemed to be unable to hold back his tears. Putting one hand at the top of Connor’s head and the other on his chest he cried quietly for a few minutes. Then he spoke quietly, but in the silence his voice was heard by everyone there.

“You were the best of us my friend. You set an example that we all should strive to emulate. I will do my best to honor your memory, I’m so heartbroken that you won’t be here to keep changing the world for the better. Thank you for giving me the chance to know you, my life was better for it.” He said and then quietly turned around and walked towards Simon and brought him into his arms as the both cried in grief. As Kyle zipped the bag back up and started wheeling towards the van every officer came forward and lined up to salute Connor as he was wheeled by.

Chris, Tina and Gavin made sure the Jericho leaders and Hank were taken back to the station where Josh eventually showed up with tears in his eyes. Jeffery himself showed him to the break room where the grieving group was. Josh immediately pulled North into a hard hug. She cried into his shoulder and seemed to nod as if he was talking to her. Releasing the hug Josh turned to Hank who was sitting on the couch against the wall. Josh sat down by Hank and looked at the man. Hank eventually raised his arm and brought the deviant towards him for a hug as Josh cried on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry Hank.” Josh whispered quietly as Hank nodded slowly. Markus eventually drove everyone back to Hank’s house. The next day Markus met with Jeffery to start discussing funeral arrangements. Apparently Connor had asked that if anything happened to him that Markus be in charge of making final arrangements.

“Connor didn’t think that Hank would be in any condition to arrange his funeral.” Markus explained quietly. There was a floor in New Jericho that had been converted to a mausoleum for deviants. Connor would have a place of honor there and Markus knew that most fallen officers had funerals at the large Catholic Church St. Pius. Jeffery gave Markus the information he wanted and he left with a sad smile.

Jeffery was unsure if Hank would be able to get over his grief this time. He hadn’t heard from the detective since he had left the station that horrible day. Jeffery has tried calling but Hank wouldn’t answer his phone. So Jeffery decided to stop by Hank’s house that morning to check in with his friend before work. He had expected to find him drowning his grief in alcohol, but was surprised when a sober Hank opened the door. The man looked terrible, like he hadn’t slept since it happened. His eyes were bloodshot like he had been crying and his hair was greasy and falling in his face, so he probably hadn’t showered either. What also surprised him was that Simon and Josh were there as well. Josh was in the kitchen swearing colorfully at the coffee pot and Simon was at the stove making breakfast.

“Jeffery.” Hank greeted him tiredly, not offering any explanation of his extra guests.

“Hank.” Jeffery said in return. “I was just stopping by to see if you needed anything. Katlyn sends her condolences and will be dropping off a casserole or something later.” He explained quietly. Hank just shook his head softly.

“I don’t need anything Jeffery.” Hank said softly. Just then North walked into the living room, her hair wet as if she just got out of the shower. A large white dog followed closely behind her.

“You _need_ a shower.” She said seriously as she plopped down on the couch the big dog jumped beside her and she wrapped her arms around it’s neck and leaned into the white fur. Hank shook his head and sighed to himself.

“Yeah I know.” Hank said. Then looked back to Jeffery and seeing his questioning look towards the dog he hadn’t seen before he explained. “That’s Snow... the kids dog.” He said, unable to say Connor’s name. Jeffery nodded sadly looking at North as she closed her eyes and hid her face in the dogs fur. She seemed to go into rest mode right there on the couch. Hank stepped outside with Jeffery and shut the door.

“I didn’t know you had guests, but I’m glad I didn’t find you here alone.” Jeffery said.

“North hasn’t left the house, or that dog’s side.” Hank said quietly. “I heard her tell Josh she promised Connor...” his voice broke as he said his son’s name. “He made her promise that I wouldn’t be alone.... the kid was dying and he was fucking worrying about me.” Hank said with a small sob. “Shit, I didn’t deserve him.”

“I think Connor would disagree there.” Jeffery replied. The men were silent for a moment looking towards the gray storm clouds rolling into the area. “I’m sorry Hank.” Jeffery said quietly breaking the silence. “I know it doesn’t mean much, but I am. I wish I could somehow bring him back to you Hank. You sure as hell don’t deserve to go through this again.” Jeffery said to his old friend. Hank nodded silently working his jaw to try to control his unsteady emotions. Patting his friends shoulder Jeffery started towards his car, he turned when Hank called out.

“Jeffery.... thanks for checking in with me.” He said quietly. “You’re a good friend... you’ve stuck by me when I was at my lowest.... I’m grateful for that.” Hank finished. “I’m... a long fuckin way from being ok... and I know what you thought you would find when you stopped by this morning.” Hank said not looking at Jeffery.

“I was worried Hank. I feel like I was just getting you back.” Jeffery explained. “I was starting to see my old friend again.”

“I can understand why you were worried....but I can’t start drinking again... he would be really disappointed if I did.” Hank rambled slightly. “Just don’t want you to worry about that again.” He finished.

“Of course Hank.” Jeffery said. “I need to get to the precinct. I want you to think about what you want Hank. No one would blame you if you didn’t come back.” The Captain said compassionately. Hank nodded slowly.

“I honestly don’t know if I can Jeffery. I don’t know if I can sit at my desk and....” Hank stopped himself and sighed with tears in his eyes. “I’ll think about it.” He said his voice cracking slightly.

“Take all the time you need to.” Jeffery said kindly. “If you need anything, just let me know, get cleaned up and maybe catch some sleep. And please for the love of God answer you phone every once in a while.” Hank nodded with a sad smile and went back inside the house. Jeffery had gone to work that morning with a small sense of relief that his friend would eventually be ok, and it looked like Connor’s friends would make sure Hank wouldn’t get lost in his grief.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts Jeffery looked back at his computer and shut it down, deciding that it was time for him to head home. Just as he stood from his desk movement from the bullpen drew his eyes. Gavin was hurrying toward Jeffery’s office and he wasn’t alone. An android with long blonde hair high in a ponytail was following after him.

“Captain I need to talk to you.” Gavin said as he entered the office the android following behind him. Gavin shut the door and then pushed the button that would turn his glass walls opaque. Raising his eyebrows in surprise Jeffery looked at his detective.

“Reed, what in the hell is going on?” He asked surprised by the detectives strange behavior. “And who is this?” He mentioned to the android standing next to him.

“My name is Chloe.” The android introduced herself holding her hand out for the Captain to shake.

“Captain Fowler.” Jeffery said shaking her hand. Chloe nodded with a smile.

“We need Connor’s body.” Chloe stated hurriedly looking towards Gavin.

“Excuse me?” Jeffery said confused. “What the _hell_ Reed.” He said looking to his detective who sighed.

“Ok, short version. Chloe works for Elijah Kamski.” Gavin started and Fowler snapped his eyes back to the blonde android in surprise.

“That’s correct.” Chloe stated. “I don’t know what you know of Connor’s functions, so let me explain. You know that Connor was equipped with an AI?” She asked.

“Yes I knew that. We killed the bitch after she took over an android body and tried to kill Hank and Connor.” Jeffery said.

“Yes, Amanda was created by Cyberlife to keep Connor on mission, and she was the connection between Connor and Cyberlife systems. Connor as you know was a prototype, but to insure he completed his mission Cyberlife made him multiple bodies. If he were to shutdown his AI would transfer all the data he collected and his memories to a new body and he could continue with his mission with no interruptions.” She explained. “Cyberlife destroyed all the RK800 body’s before they abandoned the tower, but Connor still has an AI in his system, the original one that Elijah created. She was able to establish a connection to Elijah’s computers. Two days ago we received an extremely large data transfer with an old Cyberlife signature attached to it.” Chloe said looking at Fowler as he eyes widened in surprise.

“Wait, your telling me that Connor’s memories were downloaded on Elijah Kamski’s computer?” He asked disbelief coloring his tone.

“No not just his memories. The AI brought Connor’s consciousnesses, she basically saved Connor.” Chloe stated as Fowler looked between the two in the room.

“Kamski was trying to contact me.... but I was ignoring him.” Gavin explained. “So he sent Chloe to my apartment.”

“How do you know Kamski?” Jeffery asked with raised eyebrows towards his detective.

“He’s my brother.” Gavin sighed and cut the Captain off before he could say anything. “He was able to make replacement biocomponents for Connor, but we need his body so we can fix him and put his consciousness back.” He said hurriedly. “And we need to fucking hurry.”

“Yes we are running out of time.” Chloe said. “Connor’s data will start to degrade soon, so the sooner we can get his body the better.”

“Well, ok. He’s still in the dispensary. Kyle was keeping him down there until the funeral.” Fowler said as he grabbed his keys and hurried out the office door. “Reed, get your car around back. We will meet you there.” Fowler said and Gavin nodded and jogged through the precinct out the front doors.

Ignoring the confused looks from the night shift Fowler quickly escorted Chloe down to the dispensary. Fowler used his key to unlock the door. In the corner of the room laying on a cart under a sheet was Connor’s body. Fowler immediately removed the sheet and threw it on the floor. Kyle had cleaned Connor up the best he could, his shirt had been removed, but the deviant was still in his slacks. Fowler’s eyes were drawn to the deviants exposed chest where there were still two holes in his chest plate where he was stabbed with the screwdriver.

“Elijah can fix him.” Chloe said softly.Fowler nodded quickly and gently picked up Connor in his arms.

“Let’s go.” Fowler said turning towards Chloe. She nodded and held the door open so the Captain could walk through. Guiding her towards the back door they exited to find Gavin there with the back door of his car already open and waiting. Fowler immediately climbed in with Connor. Chloe ran to the front passenger seat and just as she shut the door Gavin started speeding towards his brother’s house with lights and sirens going to expedite their trip.

His mind in overdrive a sudden thought came to Jeffery. “Chloe, if this works, if we get Connor back.... will he come back as a deviant or a machine?” He asked seriously.

Chloe was silent for a moment. “There is a very small possibility that he would wake up as a machine.” She finally said. “It is highly unlikely, as the AI transferred everything in Connor’s processors, not just his memories, but his personality as well.” She explained.

Jeffery nodded and tightened his hold on the body in his arms and prayed to God that this would work and he could bring Hank his son back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short chapter. Thanks for reading! Working on the next chapter, will be up soon!


	24. Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hank and Gavin wait for Kamski and Chloe to fix Connor, hopefully it works.

“No, I’m staying here Hank.” North said stubbornly to the Lieutenant.

“North, God damnit you need to go.” Hank sighed. “Amy and Susan want to see you. You can’t hide here.”

“I’m not.” She said flatly.

“Yes you are.” Hank argued. Holding up his hand to stop North from becoming angry. “There’s nothing wrong with it, but North, you need some time to grieve.” He explained. “If you are here, you are worrying about me, and trying to take care of me. I appreciate it but you are ignoring your own grief.” He said.

“So what.” North said with a sigh not even trying to deny what Hank said.

“North, your friends love you, and they want to see you. Just let them take care of you for one fucking night and come back here in the morning. Josh is already coming over so I won’t be here alone.” Hank said raising his eyebrows. “Take the dog with you. And bring the damn cat back with you in the morning.” He said with a sigh.

“You would let me bring Cider here?” She asked quietly. “Connor said you didn’t like cats, called them little demons with tails.” She said with a smile thinking back to the day she and Connor went to the animal shelter and got Cider.

“Well, they are. But I’ll put up with one here. Connor liked her.” Hank said gruffly. North offered a small smile.

“Thank you Hank.” North said as she got up from the couch. Heading to Connor’s room to change she said over her shoulder. “Connor was right you know, you are a good father.”

Quite for a moment Hank answered in a rough voice. “Thank you North.”

Twenty minutes later Josh was walking in the door and North was walking out the Snow. _“Take care of him.” _She said through their shared connection.

“_Of course North. Take care of yourself.” _Josh replied kindly as she walked out the door. Josh sat down on the couch next to Hank as he turned on an old movie on the tv. Settling in to watch the movie neither suspected what the upcoming night would bring.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gavin soon pulled up to his brother’s house secluded on the outskirts of town. Turning the car off he sighed quietly “He better be able to fucking do this.” As he pushed the door open to get out. Fowler opened the back and exited the car and bent to retrieve Connor. Once Connor was safely in his arms he followed Chloe to the front door.

The door opened automatically allowing them entry. Chloe led them through the front foyer to the door at the back of the room. The next room was dark and had a pool in it. Gavin snorted and shook his head seeing the pool. “Of course he has a pool in his house.” Gavin muttered to himself quietly.

Chloe lead them past the pool to the wall beside it and pressed her hand to reveal an elevator.All three entered the large elevator that descended underground.

When the doors opened they stepped out into a large room that had an android assembly rig in the middle. There were spare parts strewn over the tops of the tables and large computer monitors lining one wall.

At a large desk looking at the monitors with his back to the group was Elijah Kamski. His long hair was pulled back and he was muttering to himself as he worked oh his computer. There was a case of biocomponents and another case of thirium sitting on the table beside him. “Chloe? Please did you talk... Oh wonderful, you’re here.” He said as he turned and saw the group walking towards him. “Just please put him there and I’ll see about his biocomponents.” He said to Jefferey motioning to a steel table off to the side.

“Alright.” Jeffery said as he gently laid Connor on the cold table. “You sure you can do this?” He asked as he turned back to the reclusive man.

“Yes, of course I can do this.” Kamski replied waving his had as if to shrug off the mere suggestion that he couldn’t. “It’s good to see you Gavin.” He said turning to his brother with a small smile. “I know the feeling isn’t mutual, but all the same.” He finished and turned towards the table and grabbed the case of biocomponents and headed toward Connor before Gavin could reply.

“Chloe, I will need some assistance. The quicker we can do this the better. We only have an hour maybe two before Connor’s personality starts to degrade.” He said as he put the biocomponents down and opened the case.

“Of course.” Chloe said as she wheeled a computer over and took a connection wire and connected it to Connor’s LED. Typing a few commands Connor’s skin faded away and soon all that was left was his white android body. Gavin grimaced slightly and turned away from the sight with a sigh. “His central processor was minimally damaged from overheating.” She said looking at the screen.

“What does that mean?” Fowler asked worriedly.

“His central processor is like his brain. But beings everything that makes up Connor is in my computer right now we can replace it without a problem. But we are on a bit of a time constraint so if you could please just hold off on the questions and let me concentrate. Thank you.” Kamski said without looking up from where he was replacing Connor’s biocomponents.

“Christ, I never understood why their biocomponents look so human.” Gavin said quietly as Elijah removed Connor’s damaged thirium pump. Fowler could only nod as Kamski set aside the damaged pump and picked up the new one from the case. It looked like a heart. Fowler prayed silently that this would work as Chloe gently opened the top of Connor’s skull to retrieve the damaged processor. Her steady hands quickly replaced it and she closed his skull and went back to the computer.

“Everything looks good with the new processor.” She said. “It should be compatible when we transfer everything back.”

“Good, thank you my dear.” Elijah said with a smile as he walked over to retrieve the case of thirium. “Would you replace his right ventilation biocomponent for me?” He asked as he finished connecting his thirium pump.

“Of course.” Chloe said and took over as Elijah walked to the table to grab the case of thirium.

“I’ll start running the thirium so we can start the transfer soon.” He said as he connected a bag of thirium to an IV pole and brought a line down to Connor’s arm. Opening a panel on Connor’s forearm he connected the line to a thirium line in Connor’s arm. Squeezing the bag firmly the blue blood started flowing into Connor’s system.“Three bags should be enough, then we can transfer him. He can drink the rest when he wakes up.”Elijah said as Chloe nodded in agreement as she finished replacing Connor’s ventilation biocomponent. Closing his chest Chloe ran her hands over the holes left by the screwdriver.

“Elijah, should we replace his chest plates?” She asked. “We should have something compatible.” She said as he agreed.

“Whatever you want Chloe, if you can find them and replace them in the next twenty minutes.” He said as he looked at the large clock on the wall. Chloe nodded and turned and hurried to the other side of the room and opened a door to what looked like some sort of storage closet.

Turning to the two men Elijah sighed. “If you want to wait upstairs I can have Chloe show you to the lounge.” He offered.

“No offense to you sir. But I’m not leaving Connor here alone.” Jeffery said firmly, the ‘with you’ was unspoken but very understood.

“That’s quite alright. Connor will probably need a familiar face when he wakes up. He’s probably going to be very confused at first.” Elijah said and he replaced the empty bag of thirium.

“Why are you doing this? What’s in it for you?” Gavin asked speaking to his brother for the first time since they arrived.

“Gavin, why would you think that I’m doing this for profit?” He asked with a smile.

“Cause that’s what you do.” Gavin said crossing his arms across his chest as Chloe entered the room with replacement chest plates for Connor. “If you are hoping to get something out of this you will be sorely disappointed.”

“Gavin,” Elijah sighed sadly. “I don’t know if you know this, but I have met Connor once before.” Elijah explained. “Connor and his partner came to me asking for information about deviants. Our conversation wasn’t pleasant for Connor I’m afraid. I made him question his programming, I kept asking what he wanted, I did my best to confuse him. I found him fascinating, he was more deviant than machine at that time, and he was denying it to himself. I know I overstepped, but I was bored with my life and he was the first interesting thing to enter it in a long time.” Elijah stopped and gazed at the two men. “That day was a turning point for me. I realized that when the deviants won, they would need someone to assist them. That’s why I took back my company. You know I’m making replacement parts now, and I have opened free android facility’s throughout the city. I’m also working on updates and upgrades, all sorts of things. I have my company back, I’m working again, and I am happy for the most part.” He stopped and glanced at his brother. “I really don’t want anything other than to help. I am grateful to Connor, and I feel like he is a force of good, and we need those people to balance the scale so to speak.” He finished as Chloe stepped forward.

“The third bag of thirium is running now. We should be able to start the data transfer.” She said with a smile.

“Good, let’s get started.” He said with a smile. He took ahold of the cart that Connor was on and wheeled him over to the wall of monitors. Gavin and Jeffery followed close behind. Taking a cord he attached it to a port at the base of Connor’s skull. Typing a few commands into the computer the lines of code on the monitors started moving. “Alright, the transfer is starting. Chloe monitor his processor, make sure everything goes smoothly. I don’t want any problems.” He said as he studied the screens.

“How long is this going to take?” Gavin asked looking at the monitors.

“Well we don’t want to overwhelm his systems all at once, but his data wasn’t made to stay on a computer program for an extended period of time, granted my systems are more advanced so his data would last longer. But we need to get this done within an hour, hour and a half at max. I don’t want any chance that his data degrades.” Elijah explained. “I’m assuming you like to wait here?” He asked the two men who nodded in return. “Alright, I do have some business phone calls to make. I shouldn’t be long. If you need anything just ask Chloe.” He said as he walked toward the exit.

“Eli.” Gavin called, using his old nickname from their youth. Elijah turned and looked at his brother with what some would say a hopeful look on his face. “Thank you for doing this.” Gavin said. “I denied it for a long time, but Connor’s one of the good ones.” Elijah smiled one of his first genuine smiles in a while.

“Of course Gavin. I’m happy that I could assist in this.” He said quietly. Gavin nodded and Elijah nodded back and quietly left the room. Turning back to Captain Fowler Gavin sighed.

“Captain, should we call Hank?” Gavin questioned quietly. “He would want to know.”

Jeffery sighed and rubbed his hand across his face. “If this doesn’t fucking work he would be devastated.” He answered. “I’m not going to do that to him. If Connor wakes up, and he’s ok, then we will take him home.” Jeffery said.

“This is going to work.” Chloe said staring at the screens. “We started the transfer in time, his data should be transfer with no gaps in his memory. He may not remember the actual event that caused his shutdown, But he will function properly, he will be fine.” She said with a smile. Then looking toward Gavin she said. “Elijah misses you.” Gavin sighed and looked down as Chloe went back to the monitors. “You can sit down to wait if you want.” She said motioning to the chairs off to the side. “I’m going to find some clean clothes for Connor.” She said motioning towards the shirtless android on the table, his pants were torn and dirty. Jeffery nodded and walked over and sat heavily down in the office chair with a sigh. Slouching down and running his hand over his face he realized how tired he was. Looking over at the detective he studied the man and realized he looked tired as well.

“You look tired Reed.” Fowler said with no bite in his voice. Gavin gave a small laugh.

“Well you don’t look much better sir.” Gavin replied and looked at his watch. “It’s fucking midnight, I had planned on passing out as soon as I got home. But Chloe showed up and kinda ruined my good nights sleep.” He said as he yawned. Jeffery just nodded and watched Connor silently.

Chloe returned about ten minutes later with some black sweatpants, a plain gray shirt and a white zip up hooded sweatshirt and sneakers. Fowler got up and helped Chloe change Connor out of his ruined pants into the soft warm sweatpants. “The shirts will have to wait.” Chloe said motioning towards the cable still connected to the port at the base of Connor’s skull. Fowler nodded and returned to his seat.

About forty five minutes later Elijah returned with coffee for each man and a mug of warm thirium for Chloe. Jeffery gratefully sipped his coffee as Gavin drained his. Elijah then produced another cup for Gavin with a tentative nod to the detective. Gavin smirked and shook his head slightly. “I didn’t think you would remember.” Gavin said as he sipped at his second cup.

“Two cups, two sugars and just a splash of milk and a sprinkle of cinnamon.” Elijah said as he walked up to the monitors. “After all the late nights with you studying for finals of course I remember.” The man sighed as he looked over the lines of codes. Gavin frowned slightly and stood from his chair and walked to stand beside his brother.

“Are you.... happy?” Gavin asked quietly causing Elijah to look over at him surprise written on his face.

“I’m as happy as I can be right now. I have my multimillion company back. I’m working again, I have good people working for me. I have Chloe.” Elijah said and turned back to the monitors. Gavin nodded silently, as he started to move back to his chair Elijah spoke again. “I have missed you though. I realized that I made a mistake pushing you away. I would understand if you didn’t want to, but I would like to start fresh, find a common ground.” He finished with a small amount of hope in his voice. Gavin gave a small smile.

“If you call me again, I probably won’t ignore you, unless I’m at work.” The detective said with a shrug and walked back to his chair. Chloe smiled at the detective warmly before turning to Elijah.

“The transfer is almost complete. Connor should wake up within the next few minutes.” She said as Elijah nodded.

“Good.” He answered looking towards the deviant lying on the table. “His systems should start coming back online. But he will still be weak. His thirium level is low and his systems will need to recalibrate. So he will likely become suddenly unsteady, so he will be unable to walk unassisted for the next day or so. He will probably be in rest mode more than awake. I would like him to stay here for a day after he wakes up.” He explained looking towards Jeffery.

“I don’t think he will agree to that.” Fowler said as he stood from his chair and stretched the kinks out of his back.

“I thought not.” Elijah agreed. “In any case he will need to drink some thirium before he can leave.” He said.

“Elijah.” Chloe interjected motioning to Connor. The deviants LED which had been spinning yellow was now flashing between yellow and red. “The transfer is complete, his systems are coming back online.” She said as she removed the cable from the base of Connor’s neck and reactivated his skin. Gavin stood from his chair and Fowler stepped forward towards the deviant as he saw his eyes move from beneath his closed lids. “Try talking to him. He may panic when he first wakes up, it should help to hear a familiar voice.” Chloe said as she stepped away from the table.

“Connor. Can you hear me?” Fowler asked loudly. Connor’s head turned toward the voice and his breathing started to increase. “Detective. It’s ok, you’re doing fine. You have been repaired. Just try to calm down, you’re fine.” Fowler said slowly with a calm voice.

Suddenly Connor’s eyes shot open and he took in a gasping breath and brought his hands up to his recently replaced chest as if to cover the wounds there. Trying to sit up Connor quickly found that his shoulders were being held gently down and he had no strength to shrug them off. Reaching his hands towards the arms holding his shoulders he didn’t expect someone to grab his wrists gently. A voice finally made it through his quick panicked breaths.

“Shit tin-man, just fucking take a breath.” Gavin said his voice a mix of concern and exasperation.

Eyes finally focusing he looked over. “Detective Reed?..... Gavin?” He questioned in a shaky slightly breathless voice a panicked expression on his face.

“That’s right, look just take deep breaths.” Gavin said calmly. He brought Connor hand and laid it to his own chest and started taking deep exaggerated breaths. Connor squeezed his eyes shut and nodded, taking a few breaths in time with Gavin to help calm himself. After his head cleared he opened his eyes again and found Gavin again he nodded gratefully towards him. “You good now?” Gavin asked.

“I... I think so. Thank you.” Connor replied, his voice steadier. Taking another deep breath he nodded. Gavin put Connor’s hands down and sighed tiredly. Looking to his other side Connor realized who was holding his shoulders. “Captain Fowler?” He said as he tried to sit up again. Fowler this time assisted Connor to sit up on the table. Looking around the room confused Connor looked back to the two men by his side. “What’s going on?”

“Connor, what’s the last thing you remember?” Fowler asked kindly as Connor looked at him slightly confused, his LED spinning yellow.

“Nicolas has North.” Connor said his eyes widening slightly as the panic and fear of finding out that North had been kidnapped came back to him. He tried to swing his legs off the table but Jeffery stopped him.

“North is fine.” Fowler assured him. “Nicolas is dead.” He continued as Connor calmed slightly.

“But, but where is North.... and Hank?” Connor asked bringing a hand to his head as a headache spiked behind his eyes. “Are they ok?” He asked looking back to his Captain.

“They are both fine.” Jeffery said looking towards Reed who just shrugged, Jeffery sighed.

“Connor I’ll fill you in, but what is the last thing you remember?” Jeffery asked again.

“I was at the station, we were looking for possible places that Nicolas had taken North. I went out to the back parking lot to clear my head. I realized that he had taken her to the Eden Club...... I was going to go in to tell Hank, and..... nothing. I have no memory of what happened after that.” Connor said squinting at his Captain.

“Nicolas attacked you in the parking lot.” Jeffery said. Connor’s LED spun red for a moment and returned to yellow.

“I’m afraid I don’t remember.” Connor said.

“He attacked you. You shot him, but he was able to injure you, and he took you as well.” Jeffery said and paused trying to figure out exactly how to tell Connor he died. “He did have North in the club, he took you there as well. From what North said, you were able to defend her and kill Nicolas before he could hurt her, but... Connor, he injured you badly enough that your body shutdown.” He said gently.

“What?” Connor asked his head moving back between the two men. “I.... died?” He asked his LED back to red as he tried to process that information.

“Yeah tin-man, but apparently your little AI in your head was able to transfer your memory, or consciousness, whatever the fuck.” Gavin explained tiredly.

“Mandy..... but she didn’t have a connection to Cyberlife anymore. How could she complete the transfer?” Connor asked.

“She was able to establish a connection to my computer systems.” Kamski said stepping forward slightly causing Connor to look over eyes wide in surprise. “Chloe and I managed to keep your data from degrading. We were able to transfer you back to your body, after we repaired it of course.” He explained. As he was talking Connor started running a diagnostic on his systems. Noting the replaced biocomponents he looked over at the man.

“How did you get replacements?” He asked. “I thought Cyberlife destroyed all of them.”

“Yes they did. I managed to obtain the blueprints for RK units last month. I had one of my trusted partners working on them. I called him and he was able to finish and deliver replacements for you.” Kamski explained.

Connor nodded slowly trying to take in all the information. Putting his head into his hands he let out a small painful sigh.

“Connor?” Fowler asked quietly.

“I seem to have a headache Captain. My thirium is also low and as a result I am slightly overheating.” Connor said quietly. Chloe then stepped forward with thirium and handed a pouch to the Captain. Jeffery opened the pouch and put his hand on Connor’s shoulder to get the distracted deviant’s attention. Looking up Connor took the pouch from Jeffery and started drinking it. After he finished he looked better, and his eyes became more focused.

“Captain, how long has it been since I.... died?” Connor questioned.

“Two days.” Jeffery supplied, “Well going on three now.” He said as Connor looked surprised.

“I’m assuming that Hank and North do not know that I am in fact alive.” He stated knowing that if they did that they would have been the ones at Connor’s side when he woke up.

“No, I wanted to spare them any pain if this didn’t work.” Jeffery explained and Connor nodded in agreement.

“I can’t connect to the system to contact North.” Connor said as his LED spun yellow again.

“That will take some time I’m afraid.” Elijah spoke again. “We had to replace your processor chip. It needs time to recalibrate to your systems. You will probably feel weak for a few days as it will require more power, but you should be fully functional in a few days time.”

“Thank you, for saving my life.” Connor said quietly and Elijah nodded to him with a smile. “I would like to go home now.” Connor said looking to the Captain.

“You need to drink at least two more pouches of thirium.” Chloe said speaking for the first time. Bringing over two more pouches and sitting them beside Connor she gave him a small smile. “You can leave after those are gone and I run a diagnostic.” She also had a gray tshirt and a white hooded sweatshirt in her hands. She quickly unfolded it and helped Connor get the clothes on. She zipped up the sweatshirt and nodded. “That’s better.” She said and Connor nodded his thanks reaching over for one of the pouches.

As he was drinking he looked between Jeffery and Gavin. “Thank you both for being here.” Connor said slowly.

“Don’t mention it tin-man. Just drink that shit so we can get out of here.” Gavin said as Jeffery nodded.

“How is Hank and North doing?” He asked looking toward Jeffery.

“He’s still sober Connor.” Jeffery said with a small smile. “And he’s not alone. North is keeping her promise she made to you. North, Simon and Josh were all over there this morning trying to get him to eat something.” He said as Connor looked relieved. His look then became slightly confused.

“If I can ask, what promise did North make?” Connor asked as he finished one pouch and reached for the second.

“Apparently, you made her promise that Hank wouldn’t be alone.” Jeffery said kindly toward Connor. “You’re a good son Connor.” He said as Connor blushed slightly by the praise.

“Finish that last pouch tin-man.” Gavin said quietly knocking on the cart beside Connor with his knuckles. “We’ll get you home.” He said as he left Connor’s side and walked slowly towards his brother. Connor nodded and continued to drink his thirium. Chloe then came to his side and connected a wire from the computer to Connor’s LED. Connor looked slightly uncomfortable but allowed her to run a diagnostic on his systems.

“Everything seems to be functioning normal.” She said as she disconnected the cable. “You can go home now, but take it easy for a few days. Your systems are fine, but don’t push it. You should consume at least one more pouch of thirium before tomorrow.” She said as Connor nodded. Connor slowly swung his legs off the side of the cart. Chloe knelt in front of Connor and helped him into the sneakers. Fowler hovered closely by his side. He swayed a little as he stood on shaking legs and Jeffery immediately brought the deviants arm over his shoulder and grabbed him around the waist.

“Just lean on me.” Fowler said, thinking back to when he said the same thing to North and helped her walk out of the club away from Connor’s body.

“Thank you Captain.” Connor said quietly as the group made their way toward the elevator. Jeffery nodded and continued to help Connor walk out to the car. Once Jeffery had Connor safely in the back seat he turned toward Elijah and held out his hand.

“Mr. Kamski. Thank you.” He said gratefully as the magnitude of the events of the past few hours hit him. 

“Of course Captain Fowler.” Elijah said as he returned the hand shake. “I will send a spare set of Connor’s biocomponents to the technician at your station. I should have a full replacement set for you by the end of next week.” He said.

“That would be a big relief.” Fowler said as he released his hand and walked to the passenger seat and got in the car. Gavin paused before he opened his door.

“Look, my partner, Tina, she’s is a big fucking fan of yours...” Gavin started slightly unsure.

“I would love to meet her.” Elijah said with a smile. Gavin nodded to his brother.

“I’ll call you.” He said as he got in the car and started it. Soon they were making their way down the snow covered streets towards Hank’s house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will have another chapter up soon! Hope you like it!


	25. Father and sons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor and Hank are reunited

“How mad do you think Anderson’s going to be we show up at two thirty in the fucking morning.” Gavin asked tiredly around a yawn.

“I think he will forgive the intrusion.” Connor said quietly from the backseat. His eyes were closed and his head was leaned back on the headrest. Gavin glanced back at him in the rear view mirror and thought that he had never looked more like a human than he did then.

“You doing alright Connor?” Jeffery questioned from the front seat.

“Yes, my systems just seem to be running slower as they recalibrate and it’s taking more power to try to get them to function at a normal speed, so my power is low.” Connor explained.

“So you’re fucking tired?” Gavin asked as he turned the car down Hank’s street.

“Yes, that would be a good way do describe it.” Connor answered after a moment.

“Then just say you’re fucking tired.” Gavin muttered to the android. Connor raised his head and looked at the detective.

“I’m fucking tired Gavin.” Connor said as Fowler gave a quiet chuckle from the front seat. Gavin grinned slightly.

“There, was that so hard?” Gavin asked as he pulled into Hanks driveway. The lights in the house were off, but the television in the front room was on and casting light out the front room window. “Maybe he’s still up?” Gavin said looking at the window. Opening the back door Connor slowly turned and moved his feet to the snow covered ground. Gavin and Fowler quickly exited the car as Connor stood slowly and sighed.

“I’ll require assistance.” Connor said slightly apologetically. Gavin shook his head and went to help Connor.

“Tin-man, you literally came back from the dead two hours ago.” Gavin said as they started walking up the front sidewalk to the front door. “Cut yourself some fucking slack.”

Connor smiled slightly and nodded as he concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other on the snowy ground. They stood behind Jeffery who knocked quietly on the door. A moment later the door opened a crack and Josh looked out. Seeing the Captain at the door Josh opened it fully with a worried look on his face.

“Captain Fowler? What’s wrong? What happened?” Josh rambled worry coloring his tone, thinking the only reason for the Captain to show up at two thirty in the morning was that something bad had happened. That’s why Josh became slightly confused as Jeffery chuckled slightly and put his hands on the deviant’s shoulders to calm him down.

“Hello Josh, I actually have a really good reason for showing up at this ungodly hour.” He said as he turned so Josh could see who was standing behind him. Josh froze when he saw who Gavin was helping to support.

“Connor?” Josh asked in a breathless shaking voice. Connor smiled at his friend.

“Hi Josh.” Connor said kindly. Josh immediately stepped through the door and threw his arms around Connor in a firm hug. Connor returned the hug with a smile. As Josh trembled slightly Connor became concerned. “Are you ok?” He asked worriedly. Josh outright laughed and nodded as he assisted Connor into the house.

“Are you kidding!” He said with a big smile. “I should be asking you that! You were dead Connor! Ra9, I am so happy right now that you are here.” He said as Gavin and Jeffery entered the house and shut the door. He helped lower Connor to the couch, and asked. “How are you here?” Looking between the three Gavin sighed loudly.

“Before we do _anything_, I will need some fucking coffee. This has been a long enough night, and I know I won’t be getting to bed anytime soon.” Gavin said as he went to the kitchen and started fixing some coffee. “You want some Captain?” He asked turning to look at Jeffery.

“I’ll take the whole damn pot.” Jeffery agreed as Gavin nodded and poured enough water in the coffee maker to make a whole pot. Soon enough the coffee was brewing and Gavin was searching the cupboards for coffee cups. Finding them he took out three mugs and sat them beside the coffee pot. Just then, Hank’s bedroom door opened. Hank stepped out in flannel sleep pants and a t-shirt.

“Josh? I thought I heard.....” Hank trailed off his voice rough. “What... Reed? What the _hell_ are you doing here?” Hank asked confused seeing Gavin in his kitchen. Gavin leaned against the counter and smiled.

“Brought you a present Hank.” He said as he nodded into the living room. Hank stepped forward and looking into the living room. His eyes immediately met Jeffery’s. Hank was surprised that the man gave him a smile. Hank was about to ask what was going on when movement from the couch caught his attention. His eyes widened and is breath caught in his throat as he looked almost unbelievably at the sight before him. Josh had bent over and was helping Connor to stand from the couch. Connor looked over to his father and smiled.

“Oh my god.” Hank said quietly as he raced around the couch and took his son into his arms. Connor held on to the man tightly and buried his face in Hank’s shoulder as Hank hugged him. Trembling slightly Hank pressed a kiss to Connor’s temple and closed his eyes as tears of joy poured down his face. They stood there in each others embrace for a few minutes as Hank fought to get his emotions under control.

Stepping back slightly, but not completely letting go of the hug Hank wiped his eyes with one hand and drank in the sight of his very much alive son in front of him. Connor looked at him and smiled.

“Hank, I’m sorry for putting you through...” He started only to be interrupted.

“Don’t you dare apologize.” Hank said with a wide grin. Helping Connor to sit down on the couch Hank looked up as Gavin was suddenly beside him with a cup of coffee. Taking it with a shaking hand he looked over to the other two men in the living room. Both Gavin and Jeffery were sipping on their coffees with tired smiles on their faces.

“How did this happen?” Hank asked as he sat his cup down on the coffee table. Gavin sat in the chair and Fowler sat on the other side of Connor, and Josh sat on the floor so Sumo could cuddle up beside him.

“Well...” Gavin was the first to speak up. “I suppose I should tell you my brother is Elijah Kamski.” He said and then took a long sip of his coffee. Hank stared at Gavin surprise written on his face.

“What?” He asked. “Kamski?”

“Yeah, I don’t really want to get into the fucking details of our relationship but yes.” Gavin said as he leaned back into the chair.

“I was just as shocked to find out as well.” Jeffery said. “So the short version, you know Connor’s AI?” Jeffery asked as Hank nodded. “Well she somehow was able to transfer Connor’s consciousness, before he shutdown, to Elijah Kamski’s home computer system.” He explained.

“What? I didn’t know she could do that.” He said looking towards Connor.

“I was also unaware. I knew that Amanda had the capability to transfer my memories to a new android body when I was still a machine. But I was not aware that Mandy had the capability as well.” Connor explained.

“So Elijah had been trying to contact me, but I was ignoring him.” Gavin said with something like guilt coloring his voice. “So last night I went home and straight to bed, only to be woken up two hours later by someone pounding on my door. I open my door and it’s Elijah’s android Chloe. She explains everything to me and we drive to the station. I see Fowler’s still there, so we explained what was going on, and that we needed Connor’s body. We took him to my brother who fixed his broken shit parts, and then transferred Connor from his computer back into his body. And now we are here.” Gavin explained. He then drained his cup of coffee and got up to get a refill.

Hank looked over to Jeffery on the other side of the couch. Jeffery nodded. “That’s pretty much it in a nutshell.” He said. “Although Kamski did say that Connor would need more thirium.” He said as he took a long drink of his coffee.

Josh got up off the floor and went to the kitchen to get a pouch of thirium for Connor. He handed it to his friend and then sat back down by Sumo. Connor smiled his thanks and sipped at the pouch. Looking back to Hank, Connor tried to reassure the man.

“I am functioning fine. All my systems have to recalibrate, so I will be low on energy for a day or so.” He explained, his LED flashed yellow as he was talking.

“Is that why your light is yellow?” Hank asked, Connor nodded and took another drink of the thirium.

“My power is low, I need to go into rest mode....” Connor said with a sigh.

“Come on son, let’s get you to bed then.” He said as he helped Connor up off the couch and wrapped his arm around his waist as they walked to his bedroom.

“Hank, I need to see North.” Connor said as Hank sat him down on the bed.

“I know you do, but she is at the tower with Amy and Susan. You need to rest. How about I wake you by five thirty, and we can go over to the tower then? Is two and a half hours enough time?” Hank asked worriedly.Connor nodded and bent down to slip off his shoes. Connor looked back up to Hank and.

“It will be adequate. Will you be alright?” Connor asked. Hank smiled and sat down beside Connor on the bed. Putting his arm around the deviants shoulders he brought Connor towards him for a hug.

“Connor, my son who died two days ago is now alive and home, I’m more than alright.” Hank said gratefully. “Now, go to sleep son. I love you.”

Connor smiled widely hearing that. “I love you too Hank.” He said as Hank tightened his hug for a second before letting him go and standing from the bed. “I’ll wake you at five thirty.” Hank promised as Connor tiredly laid down on the bed. Closing the door slightly Hank stared at his son as he fell into rest mode. Standing at the door for a few more seconds he ran his hand over his face and returned to the living room. Looking over to his old friend he just shook his head with tears in his eyes.

“I can’t even begin to thank you for what you helped do tonight.” Hank said quietly looking between the two men. “Please thank Kamski for me.” He added looking at Gavin who nodded.

“Sure.” He said as he stood up and stretched. “Captain, can I have today off? I need some fucking sleep.” He said looking towards Fowler with a smile.

“Reed, if I have to work so do you.” Fowler said as Gavin grumbled. “Tell you what. Take the morning off. I’ll see you at one.” He said as Gavin nodded.

“Thank you sir. Do you need a ride back to your car?” He asked.

“I’ll call a cab. Thank you detective.” He said and shook Gavin’s hand.

“Gavin, really thank you.” Hank said as he surprised the younger detective and gave him a quick hug.

“No problem Hank. Connor is one of the good ones. I’m glad I could help in some way.” Gavin said as he walked out the door. Hank turned to look at Josh.

“Could you get a cab?” He asked as Josh nodded.

“Sure thing, should be here in 5 minutes.” He said with a smile.

“Thank you Josh.” Jeffery said as he started towards the door. Hank followed him out to the front porch.

“Jeffery, can I ask, why didn’t you call me to let me know what was going on?” Hank asked with no anger.

“If it didn’t work, I just didn’t want to fucking put you through that. There was a small chance that he could have woken up a fucking machine again, or if something went wrong with the transfer. I just couldn’t do that to you. So I just sat there and prayed, for the first time in a long fucking time, that it would work and I could bring Connor home to you.” Jeffery explained.

Hank nodded. “Thank you Jeffery.” He said gratefully as the cab pulled up on the curb.

“Take a week or two, make sure Connor is good, I expect both of you back in top form.” He said as he entered the cab.

“Sure Jeffery, I’ll talk to you later.” Hank said as he turned back to the house. Entering the living room he looked towards Josh who smiled widely at the man.

“Should I contact North?” Josh asked. Hank sighed deeply.

“Connor needs his rest. I told him I would wake him up in two hours.” Hank explained. “We can just go to the tower then.” Josh nodded his agreement.

“Maybe you should try to get some more sleep Hank.” Josh suggested. Sitting down in the recliner Hank stretched out and turned the tv back on.

“If I fall asleep wake me up by five.” He told Josh who smiled and nodded.

“Sure.” Josh said and settled in to the couch to wait for the next two hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look another chapter! Two in one day! Will be posting another soon. Let me know if you like it! Thanks for reading!


	26. Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor is reunited with North and his friends

Josh woke Hank up exactly at five in the morning. Hank groaned and ran his hand over his face. Getting up out of the chair he went to his room to change into some clothes. He walked to the bathroom and ran a brush through his hair. As he opened Connor’s door he was surprised to see the deviant already awake. His surprise quickly turned to worry as he saw the state that Connor was in.

Connor was sitting on the edge of his bed his hand over his chest. His eyes were squeezed shut and he had tears on his face, he was taking large shuttering breaths and his LED was a red ring.

“Connor?” Hank questioned quietly as he sat down by the distraught deviant. “Did you have a nightmare?” He asked as Connor shook his head silently.

“I think it.... I remember what happened.” Connor explained as he wiped his tears away. “It just all came back. I remember being injured, I remember Nicolas trying to crush North’s throat, I remember killing him, and.... I remember dying.” He said looking to his father.

“Oh shit Connor, you didn’t remember what happened?” Hank asked. Connor shook his head and took a calming breath. His LED settling on yellow. Turning into Hank Connor brought his arms around him and Hank gladly returned the hug. He just sat there not saying anything, just holding Connor until he calmed down.

“I’m sorry Hank.” Connor said as they broke the hug. “It was unexpected.”

“Connor, stop apologizing for shit you don’t have control over.” Hank said kindly as he stood from the bed. “You ready to go?” He questioned as he found a pair of jeans and a long sleeve henley for the deviant to change into. He picked up Connor’s shoes and gave them to the deviant.

“Yes.” Connor said as he took the cloths and shoes from Hank.

“Alright, how are you feeling?” Hank asked asConnor changed his clothes “Do you need anything?”

Connor was silent for a minute as he thought about the question. “I am.... functional. My systems are responding better since I went into rest mode. I fear that as the day progresses my systems will become slower. My processor is still calibrating and will be for the next eighteen hours.” Connor stated.

“Alright, so when your systems slow down just go into rest mode. You will be right as rain tomorrow.” Hank said as Connor stood from the bed. Noticeably steadier than a few hours ago Connor was able to walk by himself towards the front room where Josh was waiting for them. Josh couldn’t help but smile as Connor entered the room. Josh immediately gave Connor a pouch of thirium which Connor took with small shake of his head.

“You didn’t finish your pouch last night.” Josh explained. “Figured you would need one.”

“Thank you.” Connor said as he quickly drank the blue liquid as they headed towards the door.

“I called a cab.” Josh explained. “Hank, you are too tired to drive.” He said as he walked towards the cab waiting at the curb for them. Hank didn’t argue as he followed them into the car.

The drive to the tower was easy as it was early and there were not too many people on the roads yet. Connor became slightly restless as the tower came into view as he was anxious to see North.

The three men entered the almost deserted lobby and walked slowly to the elevators. Once inside Josh pushed the button for Amy and Susan’s floor. Stepping off the elevator and to the door Josh knocked quietly. A dog started barking from inside the apartment and Connor immediately recognized it as Snow.

As the door opened Connor could hear Amy talking to the dog. “Snow, it’s alright, quiet down girl. Josh! Hi! What’s going on? Wait SNOW come back here.” She said as Snow barreled out of the apartment and past Josh and she went straight for Connor. Connor laughed as he sat on the floor and the big dog showered him in licks and practically laid on top of him. Bringing his arms around her in a hug he whispered what a good dog she was. Hank laughed quietly as Connor smiled up from the floor.

“I think she missed you.” He said as Amy stepped out into the hallway. Her eyes widened comically as she saw Connor sitting on the floor.

“Susan! Get out here!” She yelled as she knelt beside Connor to give him a hug. Susan came out looking confused at Josh but was soon stunned as she saw Connor getting up from the floor.

“Ra9!” She said as she went to hug Connor as well. She stepped back and smiled widely which turned into a frown. “Shit, North just left!” She said as Connor’s face fell. “She went with Markus and Simon over to Carl’s house. Apparently Leo called Markus about an hour ago, Carl had some sort of episode with his heart.” She explained.

“Is he ok?” Connor asked his LED flashing yellow with worry.

“Yes, it just left him tired.” Amy explained. “Carl had a meeting with someone from a gallery today. It is showcasing a lot of his paintings next month. Leo called Markus, cause he has handled that sort of thing for Carl before, so Leo asked for his help. Carl told him to bring his boyfriend and his friends, so North agreed to go with.” She finished.

“You guys go. We will keep Snow here.” Susan said. “But I want to hear the entire story of how you are alive when you come back.” She added in a no-nonsense tone.

“Thanks Susan.” Connor said with a grin as he bent over to give Snow a few more scratches behind the ears. Snow whined slightly as Amy took ahold of her collar and lead her back into the apartment. Connor sighed in slight disappointment as he looked at Hank.

“Should we call Markus or Simon to ask if it’s ok if we stop by?” Connor asked looking towards Josh. “I still can’t connect to the network. I tried this morning to call North.”

“I could.....” he said and then held up a hand for a moment. He pointed to his ear and started talking. “Hi Markus is everything ok?” He asked. “He’s doing ok?” There was a pause as he listened to Markus’s answer. “Good, that’s good.” He said with a smile. “Markus there’s something you should kno.....” Josh started only to stop talking with a sigh. “You want us to come over? Are you sure?...... Oh Carl’s insisting.....Markus can I tell......” Josh paused and rolled his eyes. “Ok, we’ll see you soon, but Markus I need to tell......” another pause with a sigh “Ok, Yeah, bye.” He said as shook his head. He looked between the two and shrugged his shoulders. “He wants us there, Carl wants to see you Hank. Says you and North need everyone around you now or something. So I’m expecting that he will insist everyone stay the night.” He said with a sigh as he leaned back against the wall. “Maybe I should call Simon. He at least will let me talk.”

“Let’s go.” Hank said with a chuckle. He clapped Josh on the shoulder as he past. Connor sighed and followed him back to the front of the building where a cab was waiting for them. The ride to Carl’s house seemed to take longer for Connor who repeatedly tried to contact North but was unable to establish a connection. As the cab pulled up Hank looked towards Josh.

“Ask North to meet us at the door.” Hank said as Connor nodded his thanks to the older man. Josh nodded and smiled.

“Done.” He said as he got out of the cab. Hank followed and waited for Connor get out to make sure he was still steady on his feet. Walking slowly towards the door Connor entered and stood in the entry way. Hank and Josh entered and shut the door.

There was a small gasp from the top of the stairs. Turning towards the sound Connor smiled as tears came to his eyes. North stood frozen at the top of the steps staring in disbelief at the sight in front of her. Connor immediately started up the stairs as North continued to stare frozen in shock. As Connor reached her she whispered quietly.

“Connor..... is this real?” She asked as a tear escaped her eye and ran down her cheek. Connor smiled and slowly reached up to gently wipe the tears from her face.

“I couldn’t leave you, it’s you and me against the world right?” Connor said as his own tears of joy fell from his eyes. North let out a strangled sob as she threw herself into Connor who immediately wrapped her in his arms. North buried her face in the crook of Connor’s neck and cried quietly as Josh and Hank smiled up at the reunited couple.

North soon looked up brought her hands to cradle Connor’s face and the two kissed passionately. As they broke their kiss they rested their foreheads together and held hands, the skin receded as they interfaced. Connor showed North what had happened, how he had woken up in Elijah Kamski’s house about seven hours ago with no memory of how he died. How he had learned that he had been dead for two days, and how Mandy had saved him by transferring his consciousness to Elijah’s home computer system. His reunion with Josh and Hank, and his anxiousness to get to her.

North showed Connor the last two days of her life, her anguish when he died, Hank’s grief at finding out about Connor’s death, the first night how Hank had shut himself in Connor’s bedroom and North sat outside his door and they both cried all night. Her determination to keep her last promises to Connor.

As the interface ended Connor whispered softly, “I’m so sorry you went through that.”

“No, don’t apologize.” North said, “it’s over, you’re here now. That’s what matters.” She said putting her hand to his cheek. Closing his eyes Connor leaned into her touch with a content sigh. “Are you truly ok?” She asked looking him over.

“Yes, I’m ok now.” He said as he took her hand and brought it to his lips and kissed her palm. She smiled radiantly at him and they walked back down the stairs towards Hank and Josh. Just as her and Connor got to the bottom of the stairs Connor stumbled slightly, his LED turning yellow. North helped steady him as he got his bearings.

“You ok kid?” Hank questioned coming up to Connor’s other side. Connor sighed in annoyance and looked at Hank.

“My gyroscope is recalibrating.” Connor said and shut his eyes. “I’ll probably fall over if I try to walk right now.” He finished as Hank chuckled quietly. Putting his arm around Connor’s waist, Connor draped his arm around Hank’s shoulder as he and North steadied him.

“What do you want to do kid? We can stand here or get you to a bed upstairs and you can go into rest mode or the couch in the living room?” Hank questioned kindly.

“I don’t want to go into rest mode yet.” Connor said as he tightened his arm around North slightly.

“Ok, couch it is.” North said with a smile as the three turned towards the living room. Connor was incredibly unsteady on his feet and needed a lot of help to stay upright. Josh opened the door to the empty living room and the trio walked slowly to the couch. Connor immediately sank into the cushions and put his hand over his eyes.

“The room is spinning.” Connor whispered as North took his hand and squeezed.

“How long will it be recalibrating?” She asked running her other hand through his hair in a comforting manner. Connor was silent for a few seconds before he answered.

“Two minutes.” He said as he squinted at North beside him. She smiled at him.

“I can’t believe you are beside me right now.” She said quietly. Connor smiled up at her.

“I’m lucky for the second chance.” He whispered and shut his eyes again, his LED still yellow. Hank sat down on the couch the other side of Connor.

“I think we all are lucky for the second chance son.” Hank said seriously. As North squeezed his hand in silent support, Connor opened his eyes slowly and sighed as his LED turned back to blue. Looking around the room Connor sighed.

“That wasn’t enjoyable.” He said as Hank laughed at the statement. Just then the door opened and Simon entered looking for the group.

“North, Markus sent me to check on you and Hank, are you.......” he trailed off, his eyes widened as he saw Connor sitting on the couch between North and Hank.

“We’re actually really good Simon.” North said and Hank chuckled.

“Going to agree with North on this one, really good.” Hank said as Connor stood from the couch as Simon stepped closer and engulfed him in a hug.

“How is this possible?” Simon said as he stepped back to look at Connor. North stood from the couch and wrapped her arms around Connor’s waist.

“We will explain everything, but first we are going to find Markus.” She said as she steered Connor towards the door to go upstairs towards Carl’s room where Markus, Leo and Carl were. Standing outside the door the two heard the conversation drift out to the hallway.

“Markus, tell me what’s bothering you.” Carl’s kind voice drifted out to them.

“Carl, I don’t want to burden you with my troubles. You’ve had an eventful night.” Markus said kindly and Carl scoffed.

“Markus it’s no burden, you are both my sons, and I am here for you now. Let me hear what’s on your mind.” Carl insisted. Markus sighed and was quiet for a minute.

“It’s Connor.” He finally said. “I lost a lot of people during the revolution, but this.... this is different.” Markus explained.

“He was your friend Markus, of course the feelings of grief will be deeper. You knew him on a personal level, you and him shared your thoughts and dreams of a better future for your people.” Carl said kindly.“I for one was very saddened to hear of his passing. He was too young, and too good to leave the world so soon.”

“He was one of the good ones.” Leo added. “I really liked him.”

“Yeah, he really was.” Markus agreed quietly, he took a deep breath and let it out, determined not to get too emotional, but Carl looked at him sympathetically.

“Markus, it’s just us here now, your family. Not your people, not North or Hank you don’t have to be strong for us. Let us be the strength for you for a few minutes, then you can go be the strength for everyone else.” Carl said kindly. Markus let out a small sob of grief for Connor and gratefulness for his father and brother.

“I know it’s only been three days, but I miss him.” Markus whispered through his tears.

Unable to listen to his friends grief anymore Connor let go of North and stepped towards the door. Knocking softly he heard Leo speak. “Just a moment please.” Probably trying to give Markus time to compose himself. Connor ignored the quiet plea and entered the darkened room. Markus was sitting on the edge of Carl’s bed with his back to the door, Leo was standing beside him with a hand on his brothers back, and Carl himself was holding his son’s hand.

“Markus.” Connor spoke quietly, but it was all it took for Markus to suddenly turn and look for the owner of the voice. Markus’s tear stained face turned from anguish to disbelief to joy in a seconds time.

“Connor!” Standing from the bed Markus quickly made his way over to his recently resurrected friend and embraced him as his grief turned to joy Markus laughed happily. Stepping back but keeping his hands on Connor’s shoulders Markus looked at his friend. “This is unbelievable!” Markus exclaimed as Connor laughed quietly. North entered with a smile and immediately situated herself at Connor’s side.

“I’ve been getting that a lot since I woke up.” Connor said as Markus smiled.

“How are you alive?” Markus asked looking over his friend as if checking for injuries.

“The short version is my AI transferred my consciousness, Elijah Kamski and Chloe fixed by body.” Connor said. Markus looked shocked and happy at the same time.

“My boy, come here, let me look at you.” Carl said happily from the bed. Connor took the few steps and sat on the edge of the bed where Markus had just been sitting. Carl took Connor’s hand in his and gently squeezed. Connor looked up to Carl who was studying the deviant in front of him. “This does my heart good, this is wonderful.” He said as Connor smiled and looked down at the frail hand holding his firmly. 

Suddenly overwhelmed with emotion Connor thought about the past eight hours. He had been showered with love and affection and greeted with joy from his friends.... no his family and the only thought going through Connor’s mind at the moment was_ ‘I almost lost all of this, I almost lost everything.’_ The memories of his death came to the forefront of his mind, his fear and then acceptance of his fate, his sadness of what he was leaving behind all came back and washed over him.

Tears filled Connor’s eyes as he held Carl’s hand. Carl, seeing Connor’s emotional turmoil, smiled kindly at the deviant. “Connor, look at me.” He requested softly. Connor looked up towards the kind man on the bed. “We’re your family, you don’t have to be strong here.” He told him gently, a mirror of what he had told Markus just minutes ago. Connor brought his free hand up to his mouth as he tried to stifle a sob and shook his head.

“It’s ok, really Connor. It will be ok.” Carl assured the distraught deviant. Suddenly the floodgates broke and Connor started crying in earnest. Sobbing quietly Connor bowed his head forward. Carl never letting go of his hand offered him support. The next thing Connor was aware of was someone kneeling in front of him and a warm hand on his back. Taking a deep breath to try to calm himself Connor opened his eyes. North was kneeling in front of him with tears on her cheeks as well. Hank was standing beside him, rubbing his back gently.

“I’m sorry.” Connor whispered as he wiped the tears from his face.

“Connor, you have nothing to apologize for. You have been thorough something really fucking traumatic, this is normal.” Hank said quietly as North nodded.

“Listen to your father Connor. He’s a good man and knows what he’s talking about.” Carl said with a smile. Connor nodded a small smile finally making it’s way to his face. North stood and took his hands and helped him to stand up. Slightly unsteady, Connor accepted her help as she walked him over to the small couch that had been brought into the room. Sitting down on the couch on one end Connor sat beside her. Looking around the room, Connor noticed that everyone besides North, Hank and obviously Carl, had left the room to give him privacy.

Taking one of the soft throw pillows North put it in her lap. Giving Connor no room to argue she looked at him and pulled him down on the couch so he was laying with his head on her lap.

“Just relax for a while Connor.” Hank said as North started running her fingers through Connor’s hair. Connor nodded and sighed. Emotionally drained and tired from his body’s recalibration Connor closed his eyes and concentrated on North’s fingers running through his hair, letting the relaxing feeling lull him into rest mode. North sighed in relief as Connor’s LED finally turned from yellow to blue.

“I was waiting for that to happen.” Hank sighed quietly. “He just remembered fucking dying this morning.” He said worriedly looking at his sleeping son.

“You have a very strong son there Hank. He’s going to be fine.” Carl said kindly as Hank sat down in the chair beside Carl’s bed. Looking over at Connor asleep with his head on North’s lap, and then over to his other friends as they quietly entered the room, all with relieved happy looks on their faces Hank smiled slightly.

“Yeah, he’s going to be more than fine, he’s going to be great.” He said looking back at Carl who nodded in agreement.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Life returned to normal, or as normal as it could be with the changing world. Winter soon turned to spring with summer making it’s appearance all too soon. North had basically moved in with Connor and Hank. After Connor had died and was brought back North was reluctant to leave his side.

When Connor and Hank went back to work, North started going to New Jericho during the day. Some nights she would stay at her apartment, but most of the time she would return to the house not long after Connor and Hank’s shift would end. She was content in the house, and through the weeks more and more of her things found their way into Connor’s room. Soon she had taken over half of the closet and Connor purchased an additional dresser for her. One day Hank came home to see all of his old furniture had been replaced with North’s furniture from her apartment. Hank didn’t mind at all, but was sure to tell the two that they could find their own place if they wanted. Connor and North just smiled and told Hank that they were fine where they were. When North had gone to Washington D.C. for a week with Markus to help pass more android rights Connor came to Hank with a nervous look.

“I know that look Connor.” Hank laughed as Connor blushed. “The new law passed this morning. Androids can now officially, legally get married.” Hank said with a smile.

“Yes. I’m nervous, but excited.” Connor said with a smile. “She is coming home late tonight, but will stay at the tower for the night. I was going to pick her up tomorrow morning.” Connor said

“Do you have a ring yet?” Hank asked as Connor nodded.

“I was going to pick it up tonight.” He explained. “Would you like to accompany me?”

“Sure kid, let’s go.” Hank said with a smile.

Walking into the jewelry store Connor was not the only deviant in there. It seemed that there would be a few deviant weddings in the upcoming months. Connor talked to one of the sales clerks who nodded and went to the back. Coming out with Connor’s order and sitting it on a black cloth in front of Connor to inspect it.

“This is an exquisite choice.” The man said with a smile as Connor nodded and showed the ring to Hank.

“She will love it.” Hank said looking at the ring.

“A round three fourths caret emerald surrounded by celtic love knots. The knots are complete loops that have no start or finish and could be said to represent eternity, whether this means loyalty, faith, or love.” The sales clerk explained excitedly. “Only one thread is used in each design which symbolizes how life and eternity are interconnected. It’s really very romantic.” He finished with an embarrassed smile. “I may have been to Ireland, and have been dropping hints to my boyfriend about the symbolism of the knots and all the beautiful rings we have.” He said with a shrug. Hank looked at Connor with a smile.

“It’s perfect.” Hank told him and Connor relaxed slightly as he paid for the ring. Exiting the store with his new purchase Connor felt a new excitement in him as they drove home. Eager to see North the next morning Connor stayed up late into the night to wait for her message that their plane had landed and she was on her way to the tower. Bidding each other goodnight Connor finally made his way into his bedroom which had felt empty in the week that North had been gone. Going into rest mode Connor smiled at the thought of marrying his best friend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning found a nervous Connor in the lobby with Snow by his side. Crouching down to pet the big dog Connor tried to calm his nerves. Looking up he saw North get out of the elevator and look over to him with a smile.

“Ok girl, your up.” Connor said to Snow who wagged her tail. Letting go of the leash Connor said. “Go to North” and the large dog took off across the lobby toward a laughing North who crouched down to greet the dog.

“What’s this girl?” North questioned as she came across a big bow on Snow’s collar. Connected to the bow was a ring box. North’s eyes widened and her eyes snapped back towards Connor, who was still crouched on one knee across the lobby.

_“Marry me North, let’s go on adventures together.” _Connor said through their connection. North looked down and opened the ring box and gasped at the dazzling green gem inside.

“_Connor, it’s beautiful.”_ North said quietly. Standing up Connor walked over to her and knelt down in front of her. Taking the ring from the box Connor asked again quietly.

“North, will you marry me?” He asked as tears came to her eyes.

“Yes, yes, yes.” She said quietly as he slipped the ring on her finger and she immediately leaned over to kiss him. “I love you so much.” She said as the kiss ended.

“I love you too.” Connor said with a smile as they stood from the floor and embraced, Snow walking around them excitedly. Suddenly there was a yell from the elevator that had just opened.

“NORTH! CONNOR!” Amy yelled as she exited the elevator running towards them. She barreled into the two with a big hug and started jumping up and down. “Susan just asked me to marry her!” She said excitedly as North and Connor laughed happily with her.

“Congratulations Amy.” Connor said with a wide smile. Susan was stepping off the elevator with a smile on her face as Amy showed off her ring. “Congratulations to you too Susan.” Connor added.

“Thank you Connor.” She said with a smile as Amy bubbled with excitement. Suddenly Amy stopped jumping and grabbed North’s hand as she saw the ring there.

“Oh, Ra9! North, Connor this is so great!” Amy said as she turned her big eyes to her two friends.

“Thank you Amy.” North said with a smile as she reached over to grab Connor’s hand. “I don’t think I could be any happier.” North said looking at Connor and then leaning to kiss him. “Let’s go home.” She said as Connor smiled and nodded.

As they exited North saw Hank standing by the car with a smile on his face. North walked over to the man and gave him a hug as he congratulated both of them. As they got in the car and drove towards home North thought about how good the future looked for her and Connor. Looking over to her new fiancé she smiled.

“_You and me... against the world.”_ She said to him through their connection.

Connor smiled, grabbed her hand and brought it up to kiss her knuckles. _“Yes, you and me against the world.”_

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That’s it, thank you so much for reading! Can’t believe this story is almost a year old! Thanks for sticking with me, this was a massive story for me! Hope to be back soon with another story soon. Let me know if you like it!

**Author's Note:**

> There will be more action in the upcoming chapters. Thanks for reading.


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